Stylish Shinigami
by Mockery Of Humanity
Summary: Ichigo didn't find Zangetsu when searching for his Zanpakuto. He instead found a guy with a giant sword and a weird looking arm, who also happens to be his Zanpakuto spirit.
1. Meeting the Silver-Haired Zanpakuto

A teen with spikey orange hair was stuck in a hole with a chain coming from his chest, the chains oddly eating themselves. "Stop! Stop!" He screamed as the chains fell apart and the pain he felt became greater.

Ichigo soon screamed in even greater agony as a white substance started to come out of eyes, nose, and mouth. The substance began to consolidate into a mask as Ichigo lost consciousness. He soon found his conscious being dragged elsewhere.

"Oh good, you're awake." A voice called said, causing Ichigo to look around, seeing that he was in a place of worship with a statue of a horned sword wielder in the middle being surrounded by pews and stone pillars.

"Over here sunshine!" The voice said again. The Substitute Soul Reaper turned to his left to see a person around his age sitting in one of the many pews of the room. He had brushed down white hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a long black and red coat with a red sword with a wing emblem on the shoulders, a red zip-up hooded vest, black pants, and leather boots. The most distinguishing features of him was a unique sword sitting next to him and his right arm,

The arm was reptilian and reached his elbow. The last two digits of the fingers and palm glowed blue energy, which connected to blue streaks that ran on the back of the forearm. The front of the arm was covered in navy blue streaks.

It's owner quickly waved to Ichigo while saying, "About time you got here Ichigo. We've got a lot of shit to talk about and little time to do it."

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded. "And where are we?" He looked around at the room.

"Simple, my name is *** ****" The teen's name wasn't heard by Ichigo.

"I didn't catch your name." Ichigo pointed out, causing the sitting teen to sigh.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way." He quickly grabbed his sword and rested it on his shoulder. "This place is falling apart-"

"Shit!" Ichigo swore as he interrupted. "I've got to find my Zanpakuto!"

"I am your Zanpakuto dumbass. And I've got an idea to get you to hear my name"

"What would that be?" Ichigo asked as he was suddenly picked up by a spectral hand. "Hey! What the hell!?" He was then thrown against the statue in the middle of the room.

"Sorry. This is going to hurt you." The teen said as he leveled his sword and threw it, impaling Ichigo in the chest.

"Ugh!?" He screamed as blood began to seep from his impalement wound and his mouth.

"What is my name Ichigo?" The spirit asked. "You must know it, otherwise you will die!" The declaration rang out as Ichigo clawed desperately at the blade impaled in his chest.

'What is his name?!' He asked himself in a panic as he felt himself lose more blood. 'Wait! I know it!' Ichigo grabbed the blade as it began to glow blue. "You're name is-!"

* * *

"Huh?" Urahara sounded as figure gazed at him with red eyes piercing the dust cloud. The dust cleared to reveal Ichigo wearing a Hollow Mask and wearing a replica of his Zanpakuto's clothes. His original spikey orange hair had changed to snow white that was longer than it was before.

The masked Shinigami's hand went into his jacket and pulled out a large revolver with two barrels, a wooden grip, and a blue rose engraving on the left side. He smashed the grip into the mask, causing it to shatter, revealing his brown eyes.

Ichigo holstered the revolver and clenched his arm right arm. It was like his Zanpakuto's though was covered in black scales instead of the original one attached to his Zanpakuto's arm.

"Congratulations Ichigo! You've passed-" Urahara's speech was interrupted by a phantom arm slashing at him. "Easy Ichigo, there's no need to get angry."

"There's no need to get angry!?" Ichigo said angrily. "You tossed me in a hole and nearly turned me into a Hollow!" He raised his Devil Bringer arm. "Luckily for me, my Zanpakuto saved me."

"So you've discovered your Zanpakuto's spirit. What's its name?" Urahara asked, earning a smirk from Ichigo.

"Heh, his name? It's...**Aoi Bara** (_Blue Rose_)." He told the shop keeper.

"It's time for lesson 3," Urahara revealed. "All you have to do is knock off my hat. The best part is that there is no time limit!" He soon grasped his cane and pulled out a secret blade.

"Meh, that's simple," Ichigo said as he quickly pulled out Blue Rose and fired off a shot of blue Reiatsu, nearly hitting Urahara's hat, but missed.

"Not yet Ichigo!" The shopkeeper said as he swung at Ichigo, striking Blue Rose away from his hand, the revolver clattering against the ground. "What will you do without your weapon?"

"I'm not disarmed!" He declared as he raised his Devil Bringer, the phantom arm mimicking his actions as he slashed at Urahara as he moved towards his gun. He quickly rolled towards it and fired it off as he stood tall.

Urahara's hat had two bullet holes in it but remained on top of his head. Ichigo quickly followed up with grabbing a boulder nearby and throwing it towards the shopkeeper, causing him to jump and declare, Awaken Benehime!" His cane sword transformed into a traditional blade with a curved hilt.

Urahara closed the gap between them and swung, hitting Ichigo's right arm. "Looks like you lose-" His words were cut off as Ichigo's phantom arm swung and knocked off his hat, completing the 3 lessons of Urahara.

"Looks like you lose and Clogs!" Ichigo declared with a smirk as he lowered his hand and holstered his revolver. "How was that Urahara?"

"You've passed the lesson Ichigo! Congrats." He said in a cheerful tone as his sword returned to normal and put it back in his cane and picked up his hat. "Would you like to continue-" He was soon knocked onto the ground thanks to Ichigo's fist.

"That's for knocking me into that damn hole!" He yelled angrily before chilling out. "How long till the portal is open?" He asked the recovering shop owner.

"In...about...14...days." Urahara wheezed out as he got up. "You don't want to train with me Ichigo? I was the one who helped you get your powers back."

'He knows a lot about Shinigami and such. Too much not to be suspicious in my opinion.' Aoi told his wielder.

"Fair point," Ichigo answered out loud, earning a smile from Urahara.

"Good! Now let's-" "I'm not talking about you bastard!" Ichigo interrupted the Exiled Shinigami. "I was talking to my Zanpaukto."

"Oh, my bad!" Urahara apologized while thinking, 'Already talking to your Zanpakuto spirit? You really are special Ichigo.'

"I'll be back here in 2 weeks," Ichigo said as he began to leave. "Just be sure the thing is ready." The teen then quickly made his way out of Urahara's training ground.

* * *

"So what's with the look change?" Ichigo asked his Zanpakuto spirit as he walked out of a store with several bags in hand. "Not that I dislike it." He quickly said. While the hair change was a bit shocking at first, he started to like it.

"That would be because of the way you learned my name," Aoi answered. "You were impaled and your body was forced to heal itself with an overflow of my own Reiatsu subconsciously. That caused your appearance to resemble mine. That might also explain why you still have your Devil Bringer and Zanpakuto, even in your human body. "

"Meh alright, Nero," Ichigo said as he fixed his coat. It was dark red with three tails and black lining. There were 5 straps on each cuff with black buttons on them. He also changed the rose belt buckle into a sliver, round demonic skull. Along with changing the boots with black combat ones, and a greyish black vest that was similar to the one he was wearing before, just without the hood.

"Nero?" The spirit sounded to himself before nodding. "Not bad, but why the nickname?" He asked.

"Figured you need a nickname and Nero seemed appropriate," Ichigo admitted with a shrug. He didn't really know why he named him Nero, but he thought it sounded good.

"Alright then." Nero relented. Ichigo kept walking down the street, chatting with Nero and smashed into a person while not paying attention.

"Hey! Watch where you're-" The person told them before stopping and interrupting them. The person was a girl around Ichigo's age wearing a schoolgirl outfit that exposed her midriff and reached just past her elbows. She seemed to have many scars, the most apparent one going across her nose, between her mismatched eyes, the left one being red and the other bluish-green.

The lady was heavily armed, the main thing that caught Ichigo's eye was a black rocket launcher with a bayonet attached to the girl's back. She looked at Ichigo's right arm that had a red and black glove that covered his Devil Bringer.

"You okay?" The Substitute Shinigami asked before the girl grabbed his coat and pushed up the sleeve. "Hey watch it!" He yelled as she continued and presented the black scales of his arm. "Oh shit."

"What are you?!" She demanded as she pointed a pistol at Ichigo who held his hands up in surrender. "Answer my question!"

"Ease up alright!" Ichigo yelled. "I'm a human or something like that!"

"Your arm says otherwise!" She responded as she pulled the hammer down on her pistol.

"And how do you even see it? Unless your...Spiritually aware." Ichigo trailed off. "So why are you even being so violent about it?"

The girl merely pressed the gun closer to his head as she stated, "It's none of your concern and now answer the question!"

"I just did," Ichigo commented dryly. "I'm a human who happened to have Shinigami powers."

Her grip on the weapon loosened as her hand fell to her side as her eyes narrowed. "Hmm...Then you could actually help me." He murmured under her breath, though Ichigo caught it.

"Yup, the best way to ask a person to help, aim a gun at their fricken head!" He yelled incredulously. "Also why the hell would I help you?"

The girl just rolled her eyes as she replied, "Jeez, overreact much? Besides, if you don't want to help, let's do a trade."

"A trade?" He asked. "And what would you exactly trade me?"

"Pretty simple. You help me with this thing, and I help you with something you need." She explained.

'Huh...That seems interesting and useful.' Ichigo mused.

"I would recommend doing it." Nero butted in. "I'm going to assume that the chick's plan is going to involve hunting a Hollow. That would let you train with my abilities." He explained.

"Alright fine." Ichigo agreed out loud, before extending his hand. "I'll help you kill this Hollow."

The teen smirked as she grasped his hand and shook it. "Good. Now let's go..." She trailed off.

"Ichigo." He offered. "It's Ichigo. What can I call you?"

"You can call me Lady. Now let's get going strawberry. We have to meet with a friend of mine." She said as she began walking, being followed by a growling Ichigo.

"It means he who protects!" He yelled. "So get it right!" He quickly gained a smirk. "Besides, you can't take out a Hollow with the weapons you have? Not too smart are you?"

"I guess your right." She admitted. "But this isn't a regular weapon." She patted the rocket launcher on her back. "This baby can absorb Reishi and fires it out."

"Hmm, that's interesting," Ichigo admitted, before remembering something from earlier. "Wait, you said you had a friend we're meeting. Where are they?"

"I'm the friend you two are chatting about." A voice called out. Ichigo looked to his left to see a blonde teen that looked to be a year older than him and Lady.

Her hair was swept back with some bangs on the side. She was wearing a black corset with white filigree and a lightning bolt design on the front, with a similar design for the zipper. She had black leather pants with white filigree designs on the hips and held up by a double ended belt. She was wearing knee-high, high-heeled boots. She had a black choker on her neck with a red gem in the middle of it with a gauntlet with three belts on it on her right hand.

Ichigo noticed a handle sticking out behind her back. It had a spiral grip with four skulls and a spike on the pommel. The older teen stepped off the wall she was leaning on and joined the two others. "So who's the cutie, Lady?" She asked as she put her hands on her hips. "And he's spiritually aware? What a catch."

"Nice to see you too Trish," Lady said with a sigh. "He's going to be helping us with the Hollow. Though we owe him a favor in return."

Trish put a finger on her lips while she thought. "Hmm...Alright then. It should be fun at the very least." She told them as they began to move once more.

"What exactly is the deal with this Hollow?" Ichigo asked. "I'm not a big fan of them obviously, but you two seem to be gunning for them really hard."

Lady froze up before turning her head towards Ichigo. "That bastard is my father! Or what's left of him. They killed my mother and that's why I'm going to kill them!" She declared with a snarl.

"I kinda know what you're going through," Ichigo mentioned with a somber tone, earning surprised looks from Trish and Lady. "When I was younger, my mother was killed by a Hollow and it was all of my fault! I was an idiot and got her killed!?" He yelled before calming down. "So I may not know how you exactly feel, but I can relate."

"I'm so sorry to hear that Ichigo," Lady said. "But you couldn't blame yourself for that! You didn't know any better."

Ichigo just sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Let's just drop it. It was stupid to bring up. How much longer until we get there?"

"It should be up ahead," Trish mentioned as they stopped in front of a road that led to a warehouse. "Hope you can fight well sweetie." She commented as she gripped her sword's handle.

Lady stayed silent as she pulled her rocket launcher off her back. Ichigo smirked as he pulled off his glove and rolled up his right sleeve while he said, "Oh trust me. You haven't seen anyone like me!"

He took the lead and stood in front of the entrance of the warehouse. He cocked his Devil Bringer back with its spectral arm mimicking its movement. He smashed his fist into it and sent it flying inwards due to his spectral arm.

Lady and Trish followed him into the dark warehouse. "Now where the hell is this Hollow?" He asked out loud as he began to hear scuttling somewhere in the darkness.

"Let me get the lights," Trish said as she pressed her hand against the wall to find the light switch. She eventually found it and flicked it on. They flickered on and revealed the Hollow.

It was a bulbous blob of purple and blue with stubby hands and a female face that looked like it was screaming in agony. There was a mask on the upper portion of the blob that was white and seemed to have a red marking that seemed to constantly move.

"Let's go!" Lady declared as she leveled her rocket launcher and fired off a rocket, hitting the blob, but didn't seem to do much damage to it.

"**Mary...Why must you...Hurt us**." The blob said in a distorted tone, seemingly aggravating the girl further.

"Shut up!" She yelled as Ichigo tried to punch the Hollow with his Devil Bringer, but was quickly surrounded by leech like extensions of the Hollow.

"Damn it!" He swore as he pulled out Blue Rose and fired at them, killing the Hollow extensions quickly. He then fired several at the main Hollow, doing slight damage.

The Substitute Shinigami holstered the revolver and launched his spectral arm at the Hollow, gripping the large body and holding it in place.

Trish soon jumped onto Ichigo's arm and began to slash at the Hollow's body, causing more damage. She jumped off with a flip and landed next to Ichigo, who still had a grasp on the Hollow.

"Nice!" She mentioned as Lady moved closer to them after firing several more missiles at her father's Hollow.

"**Mary...Join us**." It rasped out as Lady shook her head and gained a slightly crazed look.

"Just die!" She declared as she slammed Kalina Ann onto the ground and launched out a barrage of missiles, all going towards the Hollow.

They hit the corrupted father and caused a giant cloud of black smoke. It cleared to reveal a more damaged Hollow with a cracked mask. "Let's finish it off!" Ichigo declared as he gripped the Hollow tighter and smash it into the ground.

It caused the concrete to break and Ichigo launched himself into the air, nearly hitting the ceiling. He latched his phantom arm onto the back of the Hollow and forced it to stay down while standing in front of it. He pulled out his revolver and began firing at the Hollow.

Lady quickly ran to Ichigo's side and pulled out two pistols and began firing at the Hollow's mask, causing more damage to it. She fired off until they were emptied.

Trish looked on as Lady and Ichigo fired their weapons at the same time. 'Guess I should join in.' She thought to herself with amusement. She quickly jumped into the air, positioning herself above Lady's father.

She quickly launched herself down with her sword pointing downwards, impaling it. She gripped it and kicked herself off it, landing next to the two other combatants, who had just finished shooting the Hollow.

It shuddered as it fell to the ground, the mask was nearly fractured in several places. Lady holstered her pistols and held her rocket launcher and raised it. "This...is for mother." She said quietly with tears running down her face. She quickly slashed with the bayonet at the Hollow, causing the mask to shatter, revealing a face with similar eyes to Lady.

"Mary...Thank you." He said as he turned to Ichigo. "Please, send me to the next life. Before I lose my sanity once more."

Ichigo nodded as he leveled Blue Rose and fired off a single shot. The father of Lady began to turn into blue particles, evaporating into the air.

Lady fell to her knees and soon hit the ground with Kalina Ann clattering along with her. "Shit!" Ichigo swore as he knelt down, noting that she was passed out. He picked her up bridal style and put the strap of Kalina Ann on his shoulder, causing it to run down to her back. "Where were you guys staying?" He asked as Trish reattached her sword to her back.

"We were mostly staying on the road." She admitted, before gaining a smirk. "I thought you would let us stay with you. Don't you want two hot girls to stay with you?"

Ichigo just sighed before replying, "Screw it. Let's go. My dad probably won't care." He left the warehouse with the blonde in tow. "You mind picking up my bags? I've kinda got my hands full."

Trish nodded and picked up the bags and began following Ichigo to his home.

They eventually got to the Kurosaki Clinic, with Ichigo looking at the roof to see if his father was on top. "Alright. My dad doesn't seem to be up. But we have to be quiet, otherwise, we're going to wake up my sisters." He explained as he opened the door as quietly as they could.

Trish closed the door after she entered and followed Ichigo up into his room, keeping as quiet as she could. She saw Ichigo standing in front of a door with a 15 emblem hanging from a nail. "Prepare yourself," Ichigo spoke up. "There's an annoying bastard in here, so just ignore him."

"What do you mean by "annoying bastard"?" She asked curiously, earning an annoyed look.

"You'll see when you see the plushie lion." He explained as he opened the door.

A stuffed lion walked in front of Ichigo while saying, "Where have you been Ichigo?! And what's with the look change!?" Kon soon took notice of Lady in his arms and Trish behind him. "Who are the hotties? Are they here to replace Rukia!?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo replied as moved closer to his bed and set Lady down on it. He then grabbed the strap of Kalina Ann and set it against his bed.

"So that's the plushie you were talking about," Trish commented as she walked into the room. "I can agree that it's annoying."

"Oh, why must the beautiful lady be so cruel!" Kon complained before he starting running towards the blonde and jumping. "I'll change your mind by jumping in between your pillows!"

Trish caught the stuffed lion in mid-air and her other hand started crackling with yellow electricity. "Is it okay if I electrocute it?" She asked nonchalantly.

"No, I've got a better idea." He said with a menacing grin. "Give him here!" Trish did as he asked and tossed the Mod Soul to him. He quickly pulled out a shoebox with some duct tape and set them on his desk.

He quickly got to work, shoving Kon into the box, with the plushie complaining all the way through. Ichigo quickly shut it and rapidly duct taped it shut. It managed to keep the plushie inside, though was shaking randomly.

Ichigo held the shoebox prison of Kon's and pushed it under his bed. "Now that's done. I'm going to sleep." He told Trish as he sat back down in his chair. "You two can share the bed. I'll sleep in my chair or some crap."

"And here I thought you would want to cuddle with us." Trish teased as Ichigo gained a blush. "But oh well then."

"Whatever." He replied embarrassed as he tried to calm down and closed his eyes while leaning the chair back against the desk.

"Night then Ichigo," Trish said as Ichigo began to drift off to sleep.

* * *

**This has been in my head for some reason for a while, so it's being written.**

**Nero is Ichigo's Zanpakuto since they have the same voice actor! Which I didn't realize until I looked it up.**

**His hair is the length it was after training in the Dangai in the Fake Karakura Town Arc. And Ichigo's Devil Bringer is a mixture between the one from DMC 4 and DMC 5, having the general appearance from it in DMC 4, but having the black scales from DMC 5.**


	2. The First Steps of Rescue

Ichigo cracked his neck as he slowly woke up in his chair. He let out a sigh of relief as he got rid of the uncomfortable kinks due to his chair. 'Wait. Why the hell was I in my chair?' He thought before looking at his bed.

He saw Lady and Trish sharing the bed with Trish slightly off the bed. "Oh yeah. Last night happened." He said out loud as he out of the chair. He looked out the window and saw it was mid-morning. "How am I going to explain this to Yuzu and Karin?" He asked himself.

Ichigo didn't really think about his dad since he probably would just overreact and just accept it. "Ichi-nii! Are you awake?" Yuzu yelled through his door.

"Yeah, I am!" Ichigo yelled, as he walked/ran towards the door, making sure his right arm was covered by his jacket.

"I'm opening the door Ichi-nii." She replied as the door began to open.

Ichigo quickly stopped the door opening halfway through with his left hand and peeked his head through while saying, "I'll be down in a minute. I just got to get ready."

Yuzu raised an eyebrow at his now white hair. "What happened to your hair? Are you going through your rebellious phase?"

Ichigo sighed before replying, "Yeah. Let's go with that. As I said, I'll be down in a minute."

She nodded in agreement before leaving to go back down. Ichigo sighed as he closed the door. "Shit. This isn't going to be fun." He complained to himself, not expecting an answer.

"So that's your sister. She's adorable." Trish answered as she woke up, doing her best not to wake Lady.

"Yup. One of them at least." He explained as he opened the door once more and began to step through it. "Stay here and watch over Lady over there. I don't want to deal with my dad finding out about you two."

"Well fine, you have no idea about fun," Trish complained jokingly. "I'll be here, watching Lady."

"Good, I'll try to bring you two son food or something." He said as he exited his room and shut it, leaving Trish with her unconscious friend.

"Hmm...sorry Ichigo. But your plan doesn't sound much fun for me." She told herself with a smile as she began to walk towards the door.

* * *

"Hey, Karin. Hey Yuzu." Ichigo greeted his sisters as he sat down at the table, with his breakfast already set by Yuzu.

Yuzu looked at Ichigo with confusion. Mostly because of his longer hair and the fact it was now white. "Ichi-nii, why is your hair white? And longer?" She asked curiously.

"He's reached the rebellious age!" His father declared obnoxiously before he went to Masaki's portrait, yelling, "Ichigo's gone bad! It's our worst nightmare, Masaki!"

"Shut up dumbass." Ichigo insulted as he ate his breakfast. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you." Issin quickly returned back to his chair

"You shouldn't have dyed your hair Ichigo!" Issin yelled while having tears running down his eyes. "You won't ever get a girlfriend!"

Ichigo sighed in annoyance and was about to retort, but stopped when another voice spoke, "I would have to disagree with you. Ichigo can be very attractive."

Ichigo looked to see Trish had walked down the stairs and was now standing in his kitchen. "God damn it." He swore to himself as he put his head on the table.

"Ichigo! How long have you been meeting with this lovely lady!?" Issin asked as Trish smirked.

"We only met last night and we had so much fun." She said teasingly. "And there was three of us. The other one was...a bit too tired out to come down."

"Ichigo. Are you becoming a womanizer?" Karin asked.

"No." Ichigo sighed out. He would have been angry with anyone else, but he couldn't be like that with Yuzu or Karin. "She's a new friend I met last night. Along with the other one. She got tired out and decided to let them stay here." He explained.

"He's telling the truth," Trish admitted. "He was such a gentleman last night. He's captured my heart! But I hope you don't mind, but we may stay here for a while. Sorry about that."

"You can stay here as long as you want!" Issin yelled. "Ichigo finally brought home a lady. In fact two! I'm so proud!"

"Shut up." Ichigo sighed out as he finished his food. "I'm going to wake Lady up." He got and quickly ran up to his room, grabbing Trish on the way.

He dragged her in front of his door before letting go of her. "Why the hell didn't you listen to me when I asked you not to?!" He whispered harshly.

"We would eventually have to leave." Trish pointed out. "Didn't think about that did you?" She taunted with a smirk.

Ichigo smacked his head with his hand with the realization. "Fair point. But where's your sword?" He asked.

"Force Edge is still in your room." She waved off as she opened the door and entered, followed by Ichigo. "Along with Lady...Oh shit." She swore.

Ichigo looked over to see that Lady was gone from his bed, though Kalina Ann was still leaning against his wall. "Where the hell is she?" He asked irritated. "I really don't want to deal with her meeting with my dad."

"Ichigo!" Issin yelled up the stairs. "We found your other friend! And she's looking at baby pictures of you!" Ichigo heard the snickering of Lady from downstairs.

"Great," Ichigo said sarcastically as he began to walk down the stairs with Trish following. "This is going to be a great two weeks with you two."

"We could just call off the deal," Trish mentioned. "If we're too much for you to deal with."

"No. I intend to keep the deal in place." He told her. "Besides, I don't think Lady would want to call it off. But why are you helping me? I doubt it's just because you're her friend."

"That's a secret," Trish replied cheekily. "But I won't be abandoning Lady. That you can count on."

Ichigo rubbed his neck before responding, "Okay then." They quickly got to the living room to see Lady was sitting on the couch with a portfolio of pictures of his family. "You having fun looking at pictures?" He asked as he sat next to her, with Trish taking the other.

Lady smiled as she closed it. "Yup. It's must be nice, having a regular family." She commented.

"Pfff, besides my dumbass of a father, yeah it's nice I guess," Ichigo admitted.

"I want to apologize for how I acted when we first met." She forced out. "It was rude to point a gun at your head and nearly shoot you."

"Geez, you think." He said rhetorically. "But whatever. Water under the bridge or some crap."

"Thank you," Lady said simply as the looked at each other. That went on for several seconds until Trish interrupted them.

"Awww! You two are having a moment!" She teased as Ichigo turned away with a scowl and a blush, with Lady doing the same.

"Shut up." He stammered out. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ichigo's right." Lady agreed. "You're hallucinating things, Trish."

The blonde just smirked at the two's embarrassing condition. "I'm sure I am. Now can we see some embarrassing baby pictures?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can," Lady said as she opened back up the portfolio, showing pictures of Ichigo when he was younger. "You look so adorable in these!"

"Yeah, I'm sure I do." He sighed out as they looked through the portfolio.

* * *

Two weeks passed and Ichigo, Lady, and Trish were walking to Urahara's shop at night. "So what's the deal with this Urahara guy?" Lady asked. "Is he some sort of outcast, insane Shinigami? He chucked a blood bomb or something into your room. "

"I haven't got a clue, to be honest," Ichigo admitted with a scowl. "He knows a shit ton about Shinigami. Too much to not be suspicious."

"Well, let's just get this over with," Trish suggested. "It's pretty much the only way to get to the Soul Society to get your friend out."

"Fine. Let's get this over with." He told them as the finally stood in front of Urahara's shop. "Oh, he's already out front." He pointed out.

"Hello there Ichigo!" The shopkeeper welcomed cheerfully, before looking at Lady and Trish. 'Why is someone like you hanging around Ichigo?' He thought as he looked at Trish. "And who are the lovely ladies behind you?" He asked, not commenting on Trish's

"New friends," Ichigo replied as he noticed Chad was also present. "Oh, hey Chad. Why are you here?"

"Rukia saved me once, so I wish to help her in return," Chad replied. "What happened to your hair Ichigo?" He pointed at his hair.

"It a Zanpakuto thing," Ichigo replied as he ran a hand through the long, snow-white hair of his. "So is it just you or is anyone else going to join this little shindig?" He asked.

"You would be right in your prediction Ichigo," Uryu answered behind Ichigo. He crooked his head to see the Quincy was wearing a white outfit.

"What's with the outfit?" Ichigo asked. "You kinda look ridiculous with it. And you had to walk all the way here with it on."

Uryu pushed up his glasses before replying, "I'll have you know that this is the traditional garb of the Quincy."

"Well, hurrah for you," Ichigo said sarcastically. "Is Inuoe going to appear? Cause I really wouldn't be surprised."

"How did you know Kurosaki-Kun?" Orihime asked surprised.

"How many people are going to show up?" Lady whispered to Trish. She thought it would just be Ichigo, Trish, and herself.

"I haven't got a clue, to be honest." The blond said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Though I don't personally care. Though you might get jealous of having to share Ichigo."

Lady rolled her eyes at her friend's teasing. "Just shut it." She told her as the turned back to pay attention of the newcomers.

"So it that everyone?" Ichigo asked irritated. "Because I don't really think anyone else can show up."

"Well, that's quite a rude thing to say Ichigo" A male voice called out. He looked down to see a black cat walking towards him. "You'll find I can be quiet useful. After all, I help train your friends."

"Okay yup. There's a talking cat." Ichigo said before turning to Trish and Lady. "You two can see this right?"

They nodded, earning a sigh of relief from him. "Oh good, so I'm not losing my grip on reality."

"Now that we're all here, let's take this inside," Urahara told them as they began to enter his shop. They eventually descended a ladder to reveal the desert training ground of the shopkeeper.

After Urahara's assistant, Tessai gushed to Orihime for complementing the training ground, Urahara got their attention on them. "Okay then, let's get this started. But we need to change something first." He quickly raised the end of his cane and attempted to tap Ichigo with it.

He was surprised when Ichigo grabbed the cane with his right hand. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo asked.

"You need to eject from your body to use your Zanpakuto," Urahara replied. "I thought that would be pretty evident Ichigo. I thought you were smarter than that."

He rolled his eyes as he let go of the cane and took off his glove, revealing black scales and the glowing fingers of the Devil Bringer. "I already have access to my Shinigami powers. So it's useless to try and eject my soul." He explained as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Okay then," Urahara said non-nonchalantly. "I guess we can just get this over with." He quickly snapped his fingers, causing a square portal to appear that looked liked it was made out of overlapping white material. He then went into an explanation of how they would get to the Soul Society.

Ichigo fazed out the explanation as he looked at his right arm and began to reminisce on the past two weeks. 'Nero helped me train in using Blue Rose and Devil Bringer effectively. I also got closer to Lady and Trish, though I have a feeling Trish is hiding something from us.'

"How will we go forward?" Orihime asked out loud as she looked down disheartened.

"Buck up and move faster than that cleaner," Lady answered irritated. "And I recommend that you lose the innocent doe personality."

"There's no need to be like that." Uryu defended Orihime. "She's scared. And quite frankly, she's not the only one."

"You think you can protect her?" Lady replied. "We're essentially going to war with the Soul Society. People like her don't last very long." She said with narrowed eyes.

"Enough," Ichigo ordered, taking control of the situation. "As harsh as Lady is, she has a fair point. If Orihime has to rely on us to protect her, we could be held back. Besides, you technically don't have to go. I originally planned on going solo."

"Then who are those behind you?" Chad asked. "They were with you when you got here."

"We have an agreement. They got my help with something and I got a favor from them. I'm cashing it in with saving Rukia." Ichigo explained. "Now can we get going?"

"Now that's a good idea Ichigo." Urahara complemented. "Remember, you've only got 4 minutes till it closes. Otherwise, you're going to be trapped in there forever."

"Let's get going then." Ichigo declared. 'You ready for this Nero?' He asked his Zanpakuto spirit.

'You bet your ass I am!' The spirit said. 'Let's kick some Shinigami ass.'

'Nice to know you're on board.' Ichigo answered, reassured of the support as they began to go through the portal.

"So do you think he'll succeed in saving his friend?" A stoic voice asked Nero. "He may not have enough power to do so."

"You worry too much!" A cocky voice answered. "If he's as badass as any of us are, he'll be fine! If worst comes to worst, he can call on us for back up."

"You realize that he may not want to use you due to the base of your powers." The first voice pointed out, earning a snort from the other.

"I'm sure that he'll be fine with using me." The cocky tone said. "So shut your trap and let's see some action!"

* * *

After getting through the Dangai with little trouble outside of a small incident with the cleaner, the group was flung out of the portal due to an explosion.

Ichigo latched onto the closest wall with his Devil Bringer and slowed his descent, leaving claw marks on the way down, Lady grasped Kalina Ann and stabbed the bayonet into another wall, stopping her fall and leaving her standing on her rocket launcher.

"Need some help Lady?" Ichigo asked while looking up.

"Nope." She replied as she struggles to remove Kalina Ann from the wall. She started to fall again with her rocket launcher doing the same.

Ichigo quickly moved under her and grabbed her bridal style. "Oh, my hero." She said sarcastically.

"At least my back isn't hurt," Ichigo commented as Kalina Ann stabbed into the ground next to them. He quickly let her down and Lady pulled out the rocket launcher and reattached it.

"I see you've had a harder landing than me," Trish said as she landed with yellow lightning sparking off her.

"Let's get going ladies." He commented as he began moving. "We've got to hit up some tourist sites!"

"Where do you think you're going?" Yoruichi asked. "You can't break away from the group!"

"We're our own group," Ichigo stated as he turned around. "If we all went together as one we would be a pretty large group, easy to take down." He explained. "It would be better to split up."

"You don't even know where Rukia is being held!" The cat yelled.

"It's probably a safe bet to go through the giant ass gate," Ichigo said as he pointed to the entrance to the Seiretei. "And the buildings look to be in better condition then this place. So we're going that way."

He turned around and began walking towards the open gate. being followed by Lady and Trish. When they got close, a larger gate fell before them, nearly crushing Ichigo and enveloping them in kicked up dust.

"It's been quite a long time since some has tried to pass through." A voice said as the dust settled. The owner of the voice was a large goliath wearing the garbs of a Shinigami.

"I don't suppose you'll be willing to let us pass?" Ichigo asked as he moved his hand closer to Blue Rose.

"Not unless you can beat me!" Jidanbo bellowed.

"I think we'll have a fair shot," Ichigo said as Trish and Lady brought out their respective weapons. Before they were able to start fighting, the gatekeeper slammed his axe down and tore up the terrain, sending them back and separating them from Ichigo by the rubble.

"Do you country bumpkins not have any manners?" Jidanbo asked. "The city has rules! Rule #1 is to wash your hands before eating. Rule #2 is not to eat things found on the floor. Rule #3 is that fights in this city are fought one on one. Since the spiky head approached first, he will fight me first.

"I don't think it's very fair to fight an unarmed opponent," Ichigo said. "I would say you don't have manners if you do that."

"Your right!" Jidanbo yelled with wide eyes as he stuck his other hand into his robes. He pulled out an identical axe as the one in his other and he tossed down to Ichigo, who caught it with his Devil Bringer.

"Let us begin!" The giant declared as he swung his axe down. Ichigo smirked as he did the same. The meeting of blades caused more dust to be kicked up.

He quickly followed up with repeatedly smashing the axe into the one Jidanbo wielded with a shout of effort. The resulting clashing caused both of the axes to be destroyed. "Huh, guess these things aren't Zanpakuto," Ichigo commented as Jidanbo began to cry.

"Quit your crying you baby!" He yelled as he threw the handle of the axe at the gatekeeper. "You're a gatekeeper, so act like it!"

Jidanbo wiped the tears from eyes and stood up. "You are correct. I lost fair and square. I, Jidanbo, let you and your group pass!" He declared as he grabbed the gate and opened it.

"Oh good," Ichigo said as the rubble behind him was destroyed with an explosion. He turned around to see Lady wielding Kalina Ann. "Let's get going then." He suggested as they began walking through the now open gate.

"What's this?" A voice called out. They looked to see a tall man with silver hair. "This isn't allowed." He said with a mocking tone.

"They beat me, Captain Gin," Jidanbo explained. "As a gatekeeper, I must open the gate."

The captain raised an eyebrow at that. "No your not. Even if you're beaten, you don't open the gate. Because if you're beaten...you're dead." He said with a creepy smile as he raised his wakizashi.

Gin was about to strike but was caught off guard by a shot from Ichigo's blue rose that hit the ground near his feet. "Now that's not very nice." He commented as Ichigo rushed towards him with his Devil Bringer active.

Gin kick himself back as Ichigo's spectral arm smashed the ground where the captain was standing. "Oh? I thought you were a captain?" Ichigo said with a smirk. "So why you running? You can't really fight with a dagger at that distance."

"Hmm...This isn't a dagger." Gin revealed. "Shoot to kill...**Shinso (God Spear)**" He declared as his sword extended straight towards Ichigo.

He raised his right arm and deflected the extending blade, creating sparks as it ran across the Devil Bringer. Ichigo twisted his arm and grabbed Shinso and pulled on it, attempting to remove Gin's grasp from it.

"That's not going to work." Gin commented as he deactivated Shinso, causing the blade to retract, causing Ichigo to lose his grasp.

"Damn it Ichigo!" Yoruichi yelled. "You can't take on a captain! Retreat and save yourself!"

"So your Ichigo Kurosaki?" Gin asked with a surprised look.

"Guess I'm getting popular," Ichigo commented. "So what I'm Ichigo? Is there a point in asking?"

"I'm just surprised to see a boy like yourself here." Gin replied as suddenly extended Shinso once more, catching Ichigo off guard. The blade hit the teen with great force and knocked him back to the other side of the gate, hitting the wounded Jidanbo along the way.

The giant and Substitute Shinigami were sent flying as the gate closed. Gin gave one last mocking comment as he waved, "Goodbye now!"

"Ow," Ichigo said as he slowly got off Jidanbo's chest.

"That went real swimmingly," Lady commented as she looked at the gate. "What's the plan now?"

"You're a fool!" Yoruichi yelled angrily at Ichigo, who cracked his neck. "Thinking you can take on a captain! What is wrong with you!"

"Calm it down kitty," Trish suggested as she folded her arms under her bust. "Do you have an idea on how to get into the Soul Society now?" She asked out loud.

"I do," Ichigo commented as he walked up to the gate. He summoned his Devil Bringer and attempted to smash through it. He was surprised to see when his spectral arm dissipate when it smashed into the gate.

"That's new." He said with a sigh. "Welp. Any plan to get through?" He asked Yoruichi, who seemed to be annoyed with his efforts.

"Yes, but I need to find them." The cat said with a twitch in his eye. Yoruichi turned to an old man. "Hello, elder. Do you mind if we go to your home? I must ask you were a certain someone is."

The Elder nodded and motioned for them to follow. "Follow me. I shall welcome you to my home." He told them as he began to move.

"I guess we'll have to follow them," Ichigo told Trish and Lady. "Let's get going. The sooner we " They quickly began following the elder and Yoruichi to the old man's home.

* * *

The group sat inside the elder's home with the owner sipping on tea. "So elder, do you know where I can find Kukaku Shiba?" Yoruichi asked, earning a shocked look from the man.

He looked down and clenched his hands. "Kukaku Shiba? Are you sure you want to know where she is?" He asked.

"Yes, I do. I haven't been able to track her down quite yet." Yoruichi explained as the ground seem to shake.

"Why is the ground shaking?" Ichigo asked out loud as a rumbling started to get closer. "Does this place get earthquakes or something?"

"No, the Soul Society doesn't experience earthquakes," Trish answered as the sound got louder and the door to the home was pushed to the door by a man being flung into the home.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Ichigo asked as the man recovered and everyone looked at him.

"Hey, there old man." The intruder greeted as he took off his sunglasses. "It's been a while, hasn't it."

"Ganju? You shouldn't be here!" The elder exclaimed as Ganju casually waved him off.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" He asked. "I know I haven't been here for a while, but there's no need to be rude."

"Is anyone going to take the pig?" Ichigo asked as he held a squealing pig with his spectral arm. "Because I'm going to be cooking it up for dinner."

"Hey! You let go of Bonnie! You bastard!" Ganju yelled.

"Or what?" Ichigo asked with a smirk. "Because I don't think a pig straddler like you can do much against me."

"Oh, yea?" He challenged as he grabbed the handle of his sword. "Prove it!" Ganju quickly unsheathed his sword and rushed towards Ichigo.

The teen just smirked as he sidestepped the attack at the last moment, and kicked Ganju outside, following him to finish him off. "So any other ideas?" He asked as his opponent got up.

"Your pretty good." Ganju complimented. "But you're not going to beat me!"

"Do you like bacon?" Ichigo asked randomly, earning a confused nod. "Well, I hope you can fly like your piggy!" He then quickly threw the boar in a random direction at great speed.

"Bonnie!" Ganju yelled as he looked as his boar disappeared from his sight with a twinkle. He didn't notice that Ichigo was going to grab him until he was in the air. "Hey! Let me go!" He yelled.

"Nope!" Ichigo said as he quickly threw Ganju in the same direction as his boar.

"Boss!" Was said by one of Ganju's grunts as they began riding after him on their own boars.

"That was interesting," Trish commented as she walked out with Lady by her side.

"Is the Soul Society always this weird?" Lady asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hell if I know," Ichigo admitted. "But we should be able to fight anyone off."

"Aren't you so confident." Trish teased. "But you'll find that some in the Soul Society are stronger than you think." She said mysteriously.

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked.

"You fought a guy who could use **Shikai (Initial Release)** right?" She asked, earning a nod from him. "Well, there's another form of that called **Bankai (Final Release)**. And there are a few who can use it." She explained, earning a skeptical look Ichigo.

"How do you know this?" Ichigo asked. "Are you a Shinigami?"

"If she is, I didn't know," Lady said with a slight growl, earning an uncharacteristic sigh from Trish.

"I keep secrets for a reason." She began. "I'll tell you guys later. I promise." She said seriously.

Lady narrowed her eyes at her friend as she stepped back from her. "Fine. But no lying. Got it." She said in a serious tone.

"Calm down," Ichigo said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Flipping out on her isn't going to help us." He explained.

Lady let out an aggravated sigh as she closed her eyes before she said, "Alright, I'm calm now."

"Good." He commented as removed his hand from her shoulder and began walking back towards the house. "We should get some sleep."

Lady and Trish nodded and began following him, with Lady keeping her distance from Trish as best she could. That caused Trish to look down in sadness as she entered the elder's home.

* * *

Oooh, what is Trish? That'll be revealed in the next chapter.


	3. Invading the Seiretei

The invaders of Soul Society were walking in a rural area towards Kukaku's house, being lead by Yoruichi. "So what's this house suppose to look like?" Ichigo asked with his hands in his pockets.

It had been a rough night with Lady and Trish being really tense with the blonde hiding something from them. 'Though I really don't care.' Ichigo mused. He couldn't really call her out for hiding something without being a hypocrite. He hid the fact that he was a Substitute Shinigami from his family.

"Trust me. You'll know it when you see it." Yoruichi answered as he trotted in front of the rest of them. "It's quite recognizable."

"That's quite a vague answer," Uryu stated, as he pushed up his glasses, as they traveled up a hill. "Why does this Kukaku character move around so often?" He asked the cat guiding them.

"Oh, they've always been one for moving," Yoruichi commented. "Ah! Here we are!" The cat declared as they saw a house with a large chimney and a banner being held by two arms.

"What the hell kinda house is that!" Uryu declared incredulously.

"Meh. If it's their style." Ichigo said nonchalantly.

The Quincy turned to Ichigo with shock. "How can you be so nonchalant?!"

"This isn't the living world," Ichigo said with an eye-roll. "So it would make sense if there would be some weird architecture."

"He's got a point," Lady stated. "So quit complaining and let's get going!" She adjusted the strap that carried Kalina Ann on her back and started going ahead.

Trish just sighed as her friend went ahead. "This isn't going to be easy." She told herself. She jumped when Ichigo placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Give her some space," Ichigo suggested. "I don't know what your hiding, but I trust you enough to have reasons for not sharing it." He commented as he patted her on the back.

Trish gave him a sad smile before replying. "It's nice to hear that. I'm glad to have a friend like that."

Ichigo waved it off. "Whatever. Enough of this chick-flick crap! I'm going to check on Lady to make sure she doesn't destroy this Kukaku's place." He replied as he quickly moved ahead.

Trish smiled as she felt red lightning run across Force Edge's blade. 'Let's hope you can keep your word Ichigo.' She thought as she saw what Ichigo and Lady were doing.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Ichigo yelled as he struggled to move Lady. She was currently pointing both of her pistols at two look-alikes who tried to jump her. Their actions were rewarded with them crying hysterically on their knees.

"These bastards tried to jump me!" Lady yelled angrily as she shoved her pistol's barrels into the men's skulls.

"Enough!" Ichigo replied as he finally managed to pull Lady away from the muscular men.

"Fine!" She relented as she put away her pistols. "I'm keeping my eye on these two."

"Thank you so much!" One of the men said while bowing repeatedly.

"You have saved us!" The other continued, mirroring his brother.

"Oh my Ichigo," Yoruichi said as he sauntered up. "You should try and keep a tighter leash on your girlfriend."

"Shut up." Ichigo and Lady said simultaneously, though Ichigo was more apathetic and Lady was more aggressive.

"Master Yoruichi!" The men yelled. "We did not realize that you were here! Please! Let us escort to Kukaku!"

"Very well," Yoruichi replied. "Lead the way."

"This was a weird experience." Ichigo voiced as he ran his hand through his hair. "Honestly, what the hell is wrong with those two?"

"Haven't got a damn clue," Lady replied. "This place is just weird period."

"You got that right." Ichigo agreed. "Let's see this oh so mysterious Kukaku. Trish! Get over here!" The blonde quickly walked to his side and followed him slightly behind.

They eventually began to descend a stairwell and stopped in front of a paper door. "Hurry up and let them in! This will be interesting!" A female voice said through the door.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the voice. 'I thought Kukaku was a guy.' He thought to himself as the door was pulled open by one of the muscular men from earlier.

The door opened to show a woman with black had covered in bandages lazily sitting on a pile of pillows, smoking out of a pipe. "Huh. I didn't expect that." Ichigo commented.

That comment caused Kukaku to raise an eyebrow. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"I was expecting a guy, not a chick." Ichigo's explanation just earned a snort from her.

"Oh so sorry to disappoint you." Kukaku turned her attention to Yoruichi. "So what's the job?"

The cat quickly explained the situation. After hearing it, Kukaku smirked wildly. "Alright, I'll take it." She said while puffing out a small cloud of smoke from her pipe.

"Excellent!" Yoruichi purred.

"While I trust you." Kukaku started as she stood up and walked over to a door to her left. "I don't know any of the brats with you. So I'm sending along a guide. He's my little brother and a bit of a punk, but he's better than nothing."

She opened up the door to reveal Ganju bowing. "Hello there! I'm Ganju Shiba, a pleasure to meet you!" He greeted as he raised his head and opened his eyes, seeing the people who were sitting in front of him.

"You!" He yelled as he pointed to Ichigo. "You're the one that threw Bonnie and me!"

"That's why I found you shoved in the ground head first?" Kukaku asked. "I just thought you pet had enough of your shit."

"Nope. He was challenging me and lost." Ichigo said with a smirk. "But if he wants to try, he can do it again."

"Ahh! Not again!" Ganju cried out as he put his hands up defensively.

"Whatever." Ichigo relented. "So how are we getting into the Soul Society?"

"Oh, you'll see," Kukaku smirked as she began to walk away, and everyone began to follow her. They eventually entered a giant room with a giant cannon.

"Heh, you jealous of her cannon Lady?" Ichigo remarked as Lady looked at the giant cannon in awe.

"I'm amazed by it." She admitted, before giving him a smirk. "But I'm willing to bet Kalina Ann is more useful."

"My cannon will be getting you into the Soul Society, so I think it's outmatched." Kukaku imputed. "And it'll be getting you in there via the air!"

The ground suddenly began to shake as they began to ascend. They eventually broke through into the open and stopped. "That was a thing," Ichigo commented. "So how are we going to get into the Soul Society?"

"Can I just mention how ridiculous this plan-" Uryu's disapproving tone was interrupted by his head being used as a springboard for a crystal sphere with a red bird on it. Ichigo quickly grabbed it and looked at it.

"What exactly is-" He was shocked when his Devil Bringer began to glow brightly and the Reishukaku was absorbed into it, "Ah! What the hell happened.?!"

"I could ask the same brat!?" Kukaku asked irritated as she walked up to him and grabbed his shirt.

"I don't know! It just happened!" 'Nero! What happened?' He asked his Zanpakuto.

"It's one of its abilities. The Devil Bringer can absorb some items and use them." Nero explained.

'Got it.' Ichigo turned his attention to Kukaku and told her, "It's my Zanpakuto's ability. The sphere thing must have synchronized with it or something!"

Kukaku gave him a suspicious stare before letting him go. "Alright then. Just don't let it happen again."

"Now how can I use this thing." Ichigo attempted to use the absorbed Reishukaku. He sharply flexed his fingers and it suddenly caused a bubble of blue energy with a skull's lower part over it to cover Ichigo.

"That's so cool Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime pipped up as she saw the shield to retract back into the Devil Bringer.

"With that sideshow being over," Kukaku brought out another Reishukaku and tossed it to Ganju, who began to project a bubble like Ichigo did earlier. "This is a Reishukaku. It uses one's Reiryoku to emit a cannonball to break through the barrier that the Sekkiseki walls around the Soul Society project." Kukaku snapped her fingers and the two twins from earlier appeared and began grabbing the group.

They would have grabbed Lady, Trish, and Ichigo, but Lady's pistols being pointed at them was a good enough threat to stop them, and Ichigo's previous actions stopped them. "Listen up! If you lose concentration, you'll explode on the spot!" Kukaku's warning caused Ichigo to smirk.

"I'll take the challenge." He said as they followed the twins down to the training area.

* * *

"Show us how well you can do this." One of the twins ordered, who was standing in front of the invaders of the Soul Society, each holding a Reishukaku, Ichigo included. He was hesitantly given one after he absorbed the last one. This one however didn't and Ichigo was easily able to perform it.

That was mostly due to his spectral arm being entirely composed of Reiatsu, giving him a decent control of it already. It was also what Blue Rose shot as a projectile.

Orihime performed it perfectly, the same with Trish and Ichigo. Uryu's was narrower and Chad's was slightly unstable, though both were passable. Ichigo managed to summon his shield and was deemed passable by them.

"How can you not do this!" One of them yelled as Lady tried to activate the Reishukaku, but was unable to. "It is so simple!"

"It's because I don't know how to use my Reiryoku!" She yelled angrily as she struggled not to pull out her pistol. "So shut up!"

"Hey, boss." One of Ganju's goons said as he peeked his head through the door. "Dinner's ready."

"Alright, you guys should eat," Ganju stated. "You didn't eat in the Rukongai did you? They can't use Reiryoku, so they don't need to eat."

"Go ahead. I'm staying here to help Lady." Ichigo told them.

"So am I," Trish stated, earning a glare from Lady. "I'll tell you two the thing." That caused her to have a neutral look as the rest of them walked off.

"Alright, start talking," Lady demanded as they sat down. "What have you been hiding."

"First things first, how much do you know about the Soul Society? I'm guessing not a lot." The nodding of her and Ichigo gave her confirmation. "Shocking fact, this place is only the East Branch. There's a branch in London."

"And they have to deal with Hollows?" Ichigo asked.

"Nope, they deal with dragons and unlike Shinigami, the witches and wizards there tame them and don't kill them like the Hollows."

"If they didn't have Shinigami, then how do you know about Shikai and the like?"

Ichigo questioned, causing a smirk to arise from her face. "They have things called books. They happen to be based on the East Soul Society and Shinigami."

"Then why did my father turn into a Hollow? We were from England." Lady brought up. "So wouldn't he be a dragon?"

"Dragons aren't made from deceased human souls, there a natural species. And I'm guessing Arkham researched magic and stumbled upon some magic from Japan." Trish gave a shrug at her theory. "I don't really know."

"So you're a witch?" Lady asked curiously. "But then what's the big deal?"

"You're half right. I'm also half dragon." She pulled out her sword and rested it on her lap. "My mother was a dragon and her power was sealed in my sword. I also sealed some of my own power in the gem in my choker."

"..." Ichigo and Lady were blinking owlishly as Trish expected a response. "That was a shocking revelation," Ichigo admitted.

"That's it?" Lady asked, earning a nod. "Yesh, I feel like an asshole for how I've been treating you."

"This is not what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting? Yells of hatred or something?" She nodded once again, earning a sigh from Lady. "Trish, you're my closest friend, and I won't ever abandon you. But don't hide things from me again."

"Well..." Trish trailed off. "I may or may not have a crush on Ichigo." She gained a smirk at the end of the sentence.

"What!/And we're back on this again." They said at the same time. Ichigo would have reacted similarly to Lady, but got used to Trish's teasing during the two weeks they stayed at his house.

"Why do you have to tease him all the time?"

"Oh? Who said I was teasing? But let's help you get to projecting your Reiryoku."

"Whatever. So how do you use Reiryoku?" Her question caused Ichigo to scratch the back of his neck in thought.

"I managed to get it back in a life-threatening situation. But I don't think it's the same with you. You're got Reiryoku, I can sense it, but it's like it's attached to your rocket launcher. So try diverting it away?"

Lady breathed in deeply as she tried to control her Reiryoku. She stayed in a meditative position for several minutes until an aura of both red and bluish-green began to coat her. "So this is how it feels," Lady muttered to herself as her Reiatsu dissipated.

"Good job." Ichigo congratulated with a clap. "Now let's see you use that Reishukaku." Lady nodded before holding the Reishukaku in her hands and channeling her Reiatsu into it. It eventually started to project an unstable sphere, similar to Chad's from earlier.

She let out a struggled pant as the shield dissipated. 'Guess I don't have a whole lot in the tank.' She mused. She was surprised when Ichigo gave her a smile.

"Congrats, now let's get going to dinner. I'm starving." He quickly got up and left to go eat.

"He's so dense," Trish said out loud. "But he does have a certain appeal, doesn't he?"

"What?" Lady sounded confused. "What are you talking about?" Despite her acting dumb, Lady had a decent idea about what she was talking about, causing her to blush.

"We both know that you've got a thing for strawberries. But you're a bit too shy to admit it." She had a teasing grin on her face.

"What are you talking about?" Lady's blush seemed to grow redder. "I don't have a crush on Ichigo!"

"Then you won't mind if I snatch him up? Because I feel attracted to him." Trish's voice held a sing-song tone in it, causing Lady to be confused with whether or not she was being serious.

"Wha-what? Are you joking?" Even with all the years, they had known one another, she had difficulty figuring out whether or not Trish was joking.

"Not at all." Trish gained a serious look on her face. "He accepted me for who I am. And he is quite a looker. Though we could share him."

"What! Are you being serious?"

"Mary, you're the closest friend I have and would never want to hurt you. Besides," Trish gave a smirk. "How can Ichigo deny hotties like us?"

"Geez, you're a pervert, you know that?" Lady sat up and stretched. "But I do have to admit, it is appealing. So let's do it." Despite her somewhat prudish attitude, Lady recognized that she had feelings for Ichigo, with him helping her and all that, with no real benefit to him.

"Told you it's a good idea. But we should tell him after this entire thing is over." She got up and re-sheathed her sword on her back.

"We're going a bit fast aren't we?" Lady's questioned caused Trish to turn back to her. "We just decided to not only date Ichigo but to share him, all without him knowing."

"Dragons, despite having the capability to have human-level intelligence, have animalistic instincts, so they have a tendency to be veery quick to choose partners, so I have an excuse. Don't know about you though. And you say I'm a pervert."

"You know that my father wasn't around sometimes, and my…mother." Lady looked down slightly, causing Trish to feel bad.

Lady suddenly felt Trish hug her back. "I'm sorry to bring your family up, you know I don't mean to be like that."

"No problem." Lady soon sat up, causing Trish to let go of her. "And what's happened, happened. We can't change that, but we can make the future better."

"And we've entered the cliché zone." Trish joked. "But I do know what you mean. Let's just get to the strawberry." She began to walk out, with Lady smiling lightly before following.

* * *

"Time to break into the Soul Society!" Ichigo said with a grin as he and everyone besides Ganju stood in front of the cannon that would launch them into the Soul Society.

"You seem to be rather excited to do this kid. Shouldn't you be slightly serious?" Kukaku questioned. "Or are you that cocky?"

"What the point of getting stress about this? We would just be to tense be any good in a fight."He answered with a shrug.

She quickly gave the teen a smirk while saying, "I like you kid. You're not afraid to be a little cocky! But where is my dumbass of a brother?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ganju ran towards them and bellowed, "The hero has arrived!" They all turned to see he was wearing a different outfit consisting of green short-sleeve coat over a white shirt, a red sash, black pants with white swirls on both sides, saddles, and gauntlets and greaves with ridges on both.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Ichigo asked. He thought the outfit looked ridiculous.

"You like it? It's my custom battle costume!" He gave a wide smile. "Don't think I'll be giving you it."

"What a tragedy. Let's get this party started.." Ichigo commented with a smirk. As they began walking into the cannon.

"Now remember." Yoruichi began. "We're here to rescue Rukia. If you encounter a Captain-Level Shinigami, run. You won't have a chance of winning against them."

"Now where would be the fun in that? If we're going in there, I want a workout!"Ichigo objected. "But I get your point. No need to chase down a Captain. They'll just chase us down and we won't be able to hide from them."

"I suppose you are right," Yoruichi admitted with a sigh. She didn't really think Ichigo could bring up such a point, but he was right, most of the captains could easily track them down via Shunpo, especially Soifon. "But at least try to escape before resorting to fighting."

"I'll be sure to follow that." He answered as the cannon began to shake.

"It is time! Everyone! Put your Reiryoku into the center!" Her command was followed as everyone began to pour their Reiryoku into the Reishukaku. The most intense was Ichigo's which appeared as a mixture of blue, black with a red outline, and blue/purple flames. They were soon launched towards the Soul Society.

"Now we've entered the second stage of the launch." Ganju declared as they came closer to piercing the Soul Society. "Everyone must have an equal balance of output of Reiryoku as we pierce the Shakonmaru! If we don't we'll fail!"

Their Reiryoku was constantly pushed into the Reishukaku, until Orohime said, "Ichigo, you're releasing too much energy!"

"I am?" Ichigo questioned. He didn't really feel like he was releasing too much, maybe 10% at most.

"The doe is right," Lady confirmed as slight sweat rolled off her face. "It's got a kinda crushing feeling to it."

"Alright! I'll lower it!" With that, Ichigo removed one of his hands from the Reishukaku. "Is that better?"

"It's still too much. Lower it Kurosaki!" Uryu ordered as Ichigo got slightly more annoyed.

"Geez, how much do I have?" He asked himself as he only left his fingertips touching it.

"Ichigo," Chad began but was cut off by Ichigo snapping due to annoyance.

"I can't exactly lower it anymore Chad! I can barely feel any emission from myself."

Ichigo's outburst caused Ganju to lose track of the spell he was reciting. That caused him to yell, "Damn it! Because of your outburst, I have to restart it otherwise we're screwed!"

"I'm oh so sorry you can't remember something from your poem!" Ichigo mouthed off, causing Ganju to become angrier at him, causing the balance of everyone's Reiryoku to be disrupted as they hit the barrier around the Seiretei.

The barrier held as the cannonball slammed into it. "Quick! Everyone put their Reiryoku into the Reishukaku!" Ganju ordered. Everyone did as they continued to collide with the barrier. They eventually managed to pierce it, but the cannonball dissipated causing everyone to enter a free-fall state.

"Shit! Ichigo yelled as he saw Trish and Lady drifting farther away. He quickly reached out and his spectral arm extended grabbing both and bring them closer to him. "I recommend you hold on tight cause it's going to be bumpy."

They did as Ichigo suggested, with Trish grabbing onto his back and Lady grabbing his left arm. He soon activated his Aku no isan (Evil Legacy), which covered him and the ladies as they were launched from the rest of the group.

They came down quickly and hit the ground, causing a crater to form and dust to be kicked up. Ichigo groaned as his shield was reabsorbed into his Devil Bringer and he sat up. "You both still kicking?" He asked Lady and Trish, who both were still laying on the ground. The shield might have stopped them from smashing into the ground directly, but they still felt some of the impact.

"Yeah, just might have a headache," Lady answered as she also sat up and gave a slight smile. "I guess we managed to get here huh?"

"Yup," Trish answered, finally getting up. "Really wish I used my wings." They both stared at her weirdly. "Oh yeah, I can release my powers, kinda like how Shinigami can use Shikai and Bankai. I didn't use my powers because I couldn't exactly get free from your shield."

"That's good to know," Ichigo said as they got up on their feet, with him helping them up.

"Well look what we've got here!" A cocky voice shouted atop the crater. They soon turned to see a bald man whose head shined like a mirror and had red markings around his eyes, and another with feathers on his eyes and an orange piece of clothing which connected to a similarly colored sleeve on his right arm. Both were wearing the standard Shinigami outfit. "A few of the Ryoka. To think we ditch patrol and find them instead! Today is just our lucky day." The bald man then quickly went through his "Lucky" dance, which just had stares from Ichigo, Trish, and Lady.

"So what's the plan?" Ichigo asked. "We take them on together or split them apart?"

"I vote split them up," Trish said. "Myself and Lady take on pretty boy and you take on the light bulb."

"I'm not bald!" The man yelled as he stopped doing his dance. "And if you call me that again, we're going to see someone bald!" The man quickly unsheathed out his sword and aimed it at them. "In fact, let's start right now!"

He quickly launched forth, intent on cutting Trish, but was stopped by Ichigo's Devil Bringer, deflecting the blow. "Sorry! But she isn't your opponent!" He taunted. "I am!" He quickly got up and hopped out of the crater and made a 'come at me motion' at the bald man. "So let's go!"

"Heh! Alright." Ikkaku turned his attention to Ichigo. "Yumichika, you mind taking on those two? I think this hotshot thinks he may beat me!"

"Very well." Yumichika brushed his hair back as he replied. "I despise fighting such ugly people, but if I have to."

"I can hear the vanity from here," Lady said as Trish and herself pulled themselves out of the crater. "But we can teach the pretty boy a few lessons."

"Your ugliness is only matched by your stupidity." Yumichika began to walk away down the street. "But in order to defeat you in a beautiful manner, I would prefer to have some space."

"Oh, you're really are going to regret it when they beat your ass." Ichigo taunted as he gave a wave to the ladies. "Kick his ass girls! Because it would be pretty lame if you lost."

"Why do you have so little faith in us Ichigo?" Trish asked a mock pout before walking over to Ichigo and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Have fun roughhousing with baldy."

Ikkaku growled lightly as Trish and Lady followed Yumichika. "Now that there gone, let's have some fun!" He quickly dashed towards Ichigo with his sword aimed at his chest.

Ichigo quickly dodged it by rolling to the side, pulling out Blue Rose as he did, and unleashed a low powered shot. The reason the shot being so low is that he didn't want to kill his opponent.

'Don't think that killing a Shinigami would exactly help with the rescue mission.' He mused as Ikkaku was hit by the shot of Reiatsu in the chest, but wasn't deterred.

If anything, he was more pissed off. "Oh! You too much of a coward to hit me with an actual weapon? You have to use Kido?!" He yelled, earning a small growl from Ichigo.

"Like hell, you're going to mock me!" Ichigo quickly holstered the revolver and began dashing towards Ikkaku. He then proceeded to rush to engage in hand to hand combat.

Ikkaku grinned as he blocked Ichigo's straight punch with his sheath. Following up with a slash of his blade. That was blocked by Ichigo's right arm, serving as a shield as sparks arose from the meeting.

"Interesting arm," Ikkaku mentioned as he took another slash at Ichigo. "In fact, your entire outfit sticks out like a sore thumb! What with it." He quickly managed to land a shallow slash on Ichigo's chest, causing it to bleed slightly.

"Ah!" Ichigo's pained voice came out as he quickly jumped back "I'm going to have a scar-Huh?" Ichigo's sentence was interrupted by his flesh knitted itself together while it hissed with steam.

"That's new." Ichigo murmured.

"This is going to be fun!" Ikkaku yelled excitedly when he saw Ichigo's wound heal itself. "You got the ability to heal yourself like a Hollow! That means I can let myself off a chain a little!"

He quickly smashed his hilt into the sheath and spoke, "Grow, Hozukimaru!" With that said, the sheath and the blade soon transformed into a spear with red tassels on one end with a regular spear point on the other.

"Are you scared yet?" Ikkaku as he twirled it around and tried to stab Ichigo in the chest. Ichigo soon rolled out of the way and shot off a shot from Blue Rose, which was upholstered as he rolled.

Ikkaku just smiled as he just jumped over it, landing on a roof. "Looks like you can't use that thing too well!"

Ikkaku's taunt had the response of Ichigo summoning his spectral arm and smashing it into the building. His opponent was caught off guard and was brought down with the hit, being engulfed in dust and rubble.

"And that's the credits." Ichigo declared as he began to walk away, assuming Ikkaku was knocked out.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Ikkaku's voice rang out of the rubble as he pushed himself out of it. His current condition was worse off, with his clothes being cut and showing his chest, and his left sleeve was loose. The open chest showed several small scratches on his chest from the rubble falling on him.

"You have one hell of a pain tolerance, you know that?" Ichigo mentioned as he tensed his body.

"I've got to admit." He spat out a small gob of blood. "Your little arm trick was surprising, but it won't work again." He quickly spun his spear and quickly dashed forward with the blade pointed straight at Ichigo's chest.

Ichigo was about to block the spear with his right arm but was surprised when he didn't feel the blade connected. He was even more surprised when he felt the blade be stabbed into his back.

"Ah!" Ichigo's coat was slashed deep.

"Split!" Ikkaku declared as his spear split apart into three sections. "I see you didn't expect that. Do you give up?" He jumped back and wrapped his weapon around his body.

"Not by a long shot," Ichigo said as his wound mended itself. "But I'm guessing you didn't expect this!?" He quickly grabbed Ikkaku with his spectral arm, catching him off guard, and when he was in-range, smashed him into the ground.

Ikkaku changed his staff back into a spear, and held it in front of him, having it act as a shield. Ichigo just smashed through it and hit him dead set in the chest, the ground slightly collapsing beneath them.

"Looks like I'm done," Ikkaku muttered. Ichigo destroyed his weapon and he was too hurt to move in any real significant way.

"That's nice, now where the hell is Rukia Kuchiki?" Ichigo asked. "She's the entire reason why this invasion is happening."

"Why are you so interested in the traitor? She gave her powers to a...Wait! Your the human she transferred her powers too, aren't you!?" Ikkaku exclaimed as the pieces began to fit together.

"I guess my air of mysteriousness is gone. But you didn't answer my question. Where. Is. She?" Ichigo asked once more.

"Tch, I guess I've got no other choice. She's being held in the Senzikyu (Palace of Penitence)." He answered.

"I guess that's our next part of the tour," Ichigo said as he began to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Ikkaku yelled, causing Ichigo to turn around. "You beat me, so you have to kill me!"

"Umm...no," Ichigo said as he walked over and picked up a piece of Houkimaru. "But, I will do this."

Ichigo quickly smashed the piece into Ikkaku's head, knocking him out. He was about to toss the piece but was surprised when it was absorbed into the Devil Bringer.

"Now why the hell did that happen?" Ichigo asked himself. "I guess this thing can absorb anything? But what does a fragment do?"

"So I see you beat the light bulb," Lady said as she and Trish walked up to them, looking none worse for wear.

"Tch, I see you girls don't have a scratch on you," Ichigo complained. "I got slashed twice."

"Well, we could let our looks be ruined. "Trish commented. "But you have no wounds on you, but you clearly got cut up."

"Yeah, guess your right," Ichigo said, now noticing how deep the cuts were.

The first cut was on his chest and cut through the edges of his coat, vest, and black undershirt, showing the chiseled features of his chest. The back was slightly deeper and slashed through his clothes, causing the left sleeve to sag slightly.

"As it turns out, I can heal," Ichigo revealed. "So I probably don't need to worry about wounds. But I'm not going to be a dumbass and actively be looking for pain." He ran his hand through his hair. "So how did your fight go?"

"Oh." Lady sounded. "His ass got beat like a bitch. It went like this."

*Flashback*

Trish and Lady stared down Yumichika, who merely had a bored look on his face. "So who shall go first? You ugly invaders, or the beautiful being before you." He asked.

"Flock off, feather-face!" Lady insulted. "You're going to be taken down in least than a minute."

"You truly are fools if you believe that." He pulled out his sword. "I will take you two out in single stroke of my blade. Bloom, Fuji Kujaku (Wisteria Peacock)." His blade soon glowed and split into 4 sickle-shaped blades.

"Now with this single stroke, I will-"

Yumichika's monologue was immediately interrupted by Lady blowing hot his kneecap with a bullet from her pistol.

"Ah!" His scream of pain escorted his blade hitting the ground.

"That was way too easy," Lady said, holstering her pistol. "Shouldn't we have had a bit more trouble from the feather-face?"

"If someone like me clashed against him, then it would pose more of a problem. "Trish explained. "You won't as you use guns. My blade and his would be a clashing of Reiatsu, with whoever has more wins. Since you use actual bullets, they pierce them like any other meatbag."

"Would you ugly people just shut up!" Yumichika growled as he cradled his bleeding leg. "You will regret ever beating me!"

"Just shut up, will you?" Trish said annoyed as she strutted in front of him with her hands on her hips. She quickly kicked him in the head, knocking him out. "That's better. Now let's get back to Ichigo."

*End Flashback*

"Sweet Jesus," Ichigo said with a grin. "That's hilarious and slightly sad at the same time."

"Yup. Turns out Lady is quite the crackshot." Trish mentioned.

"If bullets can easily take these guys down, can we borrow some?" Ichigo asked.

"Nope," Lady answered simply. "I've got to keep some edge over you two super-powered freaks."

"So cold." Trish teased. "So where's our next stop?"

"It's the giant white tower in the middle of the Seireitei." Ichigo said while pointing behind him to the Senzaikyu." Now let's keep the show going."

"Alright/Got it." Trish and Lady said simultaneously, earning a nod from Ichigo as they began moving towards the center of the Seireitei.

* * *

Trish is half dragon. Mostly due Sparda being able to summon a dragon during the battle against Mundus. She's sealed most of her power in her choker, with her mother also being sealed in the sword, kinda like a Zanpakuto. And their are actual dragons in the universe of Bleach, as shown in the one-shot: Burn The Witch.

I know that Lady beating Yumichika with one bullet is kinda BS, but bullets don't contain any Reiatsu so they wouldn't have to clash with Yumichika's. They're also the fact that the Soul Society doesn't really know what guns are as far as we're shown so they wouldn't know what they would do and how to react to them.


	4. The Hollow in Red

The narrow streets were nigh empty as Ichigo, Trish and Lady walked down them. "So do think that this place is rather empty?" Ichigo asked. "You would think these guys would more alert for some ne'er do wells.

"Are you trying to jinx us?" Lady spoke, answering his question as they crossed into a four-way intersection.

"What if I am?" He answered. "Having a little brawl would make this walk more fun."

As if the Seireitei was sentient and able to directly command its inhabitants, several unseated officers began to pile through the four entrances.

"Looks like you got your wish sweetheart!" Trish declared as she cracked her knuckles.

The Shinigami soon began to unsheathe their swords and start running towards the trio.

"This is one hell of a horde!" Lady yelled as she pulled out her a pair of pistols and began to shoot the incoming Shinigami, hitting each in non-vital shots.

"Yeah! We kinda can't escape, so less talking more kicking ass!" Ichigo responded as he did a quick draw with Blue Rose and hit a Shinigami, though that did little to slow them down.

"Ragh!" Trish yelled as lightning came down in a diamond formation with her in the middle. The lightning soon struck everyone in the formation, with Trish acting as a lightning rod. They all fell to the ground twitching.

"Next time lead with that," Ichigo said as he dodged a sword and pistol bashed the offending Shinigami.

"Wouldn't really work that well with you guys in it," Trish responded back as she kicked a Shinigami in the abdomen, grabbed them by the legs, and tossed them at another group, knocking them down. "Besides, they were too far away to be stuck in the field."

"Thank you for the lesson, Trish!" Lady yelled as she emptied her magazines of her pistols, and in a show of talent, tossed her pistols in the air before grabbing two magazines and tossed them higher. She quickly grabbed her pistols in the air, with the grips upside down. The magazines soon came down and loaded themselves into the pistols. She quickly smashed her left pistol into a Shinigami.

'Shit!" Ichigo swore internally as they started to get closer together, the Shinigami tighten around them like a snake. 'Blue Rose isn't going to cut it!'

While Blue Rose was a superb weapon, it was better suited for mid to long-range, and the Shinigami were way to close for that to happen. And he couldn't use his Devil Bringer since Trish and Lady were to close.

'There is a solution.' Nero spoke up.

'Nice to see you're not moody.' Ichigo responded as he let off another volley from his revolver.

'Oh shut it!' Nero said irritated. He had a tendency of having mood swings and cutting off Ichigo's access from him. 'But as I said, there is a way for you to change Blue Rose into a blade.'

'That seems useful! Now spill it.'

'Hmm...fine' Nero sounded, hesitating for some reason. 'Just channel Reiatsu into the entirety of Blue Rose rather than just having it do it automatically and say, "**Rev Up, Aka no Joe (Red Queen)**."'

"Alright then!" Ichigo said out loud, earning the attention of Lady and Trish.

"What are you yammering about Ichigo!" Lady asked as she shot a bullet through a Shinigami the shoulder.

"**Rev up, Aka no Joe (Red Queen)**!" Ichigo yelled as he held Blue Rose by the barrels. It soon changed into a single-edged blade that curved slightly with a blunt protrusion near the handle and had a small motorcycle-like lever. 6 exhaust ports running along half of the back of the blade. The guard was a reversal of a regular basket guard.

"Now this is fun!" Ichigo said with a smirk as he instinctively smashed the blade into the ground and revved the handle, causing the blade to glow hot red. He then quickly removed it and dashed forward and swung, pressing down on the shift gear. The end result caused him to be propelled in a complete circle, taking out several Shinigami on the way.

"Nice to see he's having fun with his new toy," Trish said as she let off a bolt of lightning from her palm, which shocked a nearby Shinigami and arc to four more, knocking them out.

"Hell yeah, I am!" Ichigo responded as he slashed at one more guy before savagely smashed the blade into him several more times. "This thing is wicked!"

Ichigo's blade was ripping and tearing through the Shinigami horde, eventually defeating them all. He eventually rested Red Queen on his left shoulder.

"So how was the performance?" Ichigo asked as he walked up to Trish and Lady.

"Just wonderful," Lady answered as she breathed slightly, having been fatigued from dodging the sword swings. "Since when can your gun do that?"

"Since I talked to my Zanpakuto spirit," Ichigo said as he set the tip of Red Queen on the ground. "I guess you could say it's a special ability, to transform."

"That's nice," Trish said. "Now where do we go now? It's a bit difficult to see where to do go since the walls are so high."

"Give me a second," Ichigo answered as he eyed the wall and quickly grabbed onto it with his Devil Bringer, causing him to be pulled towards it. "We need to keep heading straight."

"Let's get going then," Lady said, finally catching her breath.

"Alright then." Ichigo agreed as Red Queen turned back into Blue Rose and was holstered on his left thigh.

They soon began walking towards the Senzaikyu in silence. That continued for a while until Ichigo asked, "I've been meaning to ask. What are you two planning too due after this is all over?"

By the time Lady and Trish stopped slightly because of Ichigo's question, the Sun was close to setting before Lady responded. "Me and Trish have been talking about that. We figured that we would be staying with you."

"Oh?" Ichigo sounded confused. "And why would you want to stay with me?"

"We'll be honest. We have nowhere to go." Trish admitted. "When we set out to kill Arkham, we didn't leave any family or friends, so we have no home to go back to." She draped her arm over Ichigo's arm. "Besides, would you want to get rid of ladies like us?"

"Tch, I see your point," Ichigo responded with a slight smirk. "So what your answer Lady?"

"Jeez, It's almost like Trish answered for me," Lady said sarcastically. "But...Yes, we'll be staying with you. But don't you think your father will freak out?"

"Not really," Ichigo said simply. "He is pretty much fine with you two for the two weeks. He'll probably bawl his eyes out, saying, "Oh Masaki! Our son has brought us two wonderful daughters for our home!"" The mocking of Isshin's voice caused Lady to laugh lightly.

"Since when has it been so foggy?" Trish asked randomly, noting that the surrounding area was drenched in fog.

"Now that you mention it, it's pretty hard to see." Ichigo agreed as he looked around. "But I think it's clearing."

As he said it, the fog started to lift, showing a stairway with a figure standing on it. When it finally cleared, it showed a man with red hair in a high ponytail with a sort of visor over his eyes.

"You," Ichigo said simply as he forced Trish off him. "Renji Abarai."

"I'm surprised you remember me," Renji admitted as he placed his visor on his forehead. "And I'm more surprised that you're standing before me. I was sure Captain Kuchiki would have killed you with his attack."

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," Ichigo responded. "But I've got a bone to pick with you." He turned his head to Lady and Trish said, "Stay back you two. This is personal."

"I see that you have new allies." Renji noted as he walked down the stairs."And I'm glad they're here." He pulled out his sword and began picking up the pace. "Because they will see your death!"

Ichigo smirked widely as he matched Renji's speed and pulled out Blue Rose. "Let's go then!" He yelled as he fired off a shot, which was blocked by Renji's sword.

"You bastard!" Renji yelled as he attempted to slash at Ichigo. "You have some nerve coming here to save Rukia when you're the one who stole her powers! You're the one who has damned her!"

"Not really," Ichigo replied as he continually dodged Renji's blows before his opponent got lucky and he was slashed across the chest, though Ichigo grabbed the blade with his right arm. "Rukia gave them to me to save me and my family. I'm here to repay that debt!" He quickly yanked the sword towards him and let go, causing Renji to slightly stumble, which gave Ichigo an opening to launch him flying into a wall with his spectral arm.

"You...liar!" Renji called out as he struggled to get out. He eventually landed on the ground, eyes still locked onto Ichigo. Those eyes widened when the chest wound began to heal itself like that of a Hollow.

"You didn't just have your Shinigami powers restored," Renji said out loud with slightly wide eyes. "You've gained the powers of a Hollow!"

"Maybe I have," Ichigo admitted as he looked at his chest for a brief moment. "But I frankly don't care. I'm still here to kill asses like yours and save Rukia!"

"Tch...It doesn't matter." Renji muttered as he held his sword in front of him and held his other hand slightly over it. "I'll kill you and restore Rukia's power." He quickly slid his hand down the blade and said, "**Roar, Zabimaru**!"

The blade started to glow white and turned into a large, segmented sword with pick protrusions on the blade. "Now it is time for you to die!" Renji yelled as he launched his extending blade towards Ichigo.

"Heh, **Rev up, Aka No Joe**," Ichigo said as Blue Rose transformed into Red Queen, which was promptly swung in a counter strike to Renji's own. His feet dug into the ground as the blade began to push him back.

"I'm surprised you are able to transform your weapon." Renji complimented as he kept extending his blade. "But you won't-" He was interrupted as Ichigo smashed the blade into the ground and hoped onto it.

Ichigo quickly sprinted and slammed Red Queen down when he got close to Renji. He was unsuccessful as Renji quickly spun and retracted Zabimaru and swung down on Ichigo. Zabimaru came down hard as Red Queen clashed with its wielder being pressed into the ground by Renji's assault.

"Ah!" Ichigo yelled in pain as he was stabbed in his right shoulder and the wounder became deeper as Zabimaru speed across the wound, which caused his right arm to become useless.

"Don't you see?!"" Renji asked. "You won't win!" He retracted his sword and didn't let Ichigo recover as he swung Zabimaru again and struck Ichigo's chest again, and extended his blade into a building, the wall crashing as Ichigo was launched through it.

Red Queen was stabbed into the ground. Not as preparation to rev it up, but an attempt to stay standing. 'Damn!' He raged internally as he failed to stand. He was soon on his knees and supporting his weight on his sword. 'The damage is too much!' He could feel his wounds healing slowly, but his wounds were deep and was draining his Reiryoku quickly.

He guessed that reproducing cells was difficult and thus, took a lot of energy. He started to feel his eyes feel heavy and tried to stay awake. 'No! I can't lose here. I need to protect Lady and Trish!' He told himself. 'Now move!'

Despite his cries, his eyes began to close and he felt unconsciousness creep closer. He soon fell to the ground while thinking, 'I need help!'

He expected either Nero to speak up, or no one, but he was surprised when he heard an entirely new voice saying, 'Alright then kid.'

* * *

Ichigo gasped deeply as he found himself laying on a floor. A wooden floor if his back was still able to feel correctly. He sat up to see he was in some shop, with an old jukebox in the corner.

"About time you got here Ichigo!" A voice said, causing Ichigo to look at a pair of black military boots on a desk with a pair of tan jeans on the legs of the guy in front of it. His face was obscured by his boots.

"Whoa, who are you?" Ichigo asked as he got on his feet before remembering what happened a few moments earlier. "Shit! I got to beat Renji's ass!" He looked behind him and saw a pair of doors.

"Ah!" The man sounded. "You've got to hear me out first."

"And what preventing me from doing that?" Ichigo asked as he attempted to grab Blue Rose from his thigh. When he touched the holster, he felt nothing but his pants. "Where's my Zanpakuto!"

"It's right here." A familiar voice called out.

Ichigo looked up to see Nero standing on the landing of a stairwell on the left wall, spinning Blue Rose over the railing with his left hand. "Nero? What's happening?" He asked. "And who is this guy?"

"One question at a time kid." The guy at the desk said as he set his feet down, showing a face that looked unusually similar to Nero, even the hair was in a similar, brushed down style, though some of the bangs covered his eyes. His chest was also bare, with the exception of an amulet with a silver chain and a large red gem stuck in the middle.

"So what's the story?" Ichigo asked. "And why do you look similar to Nero?"

"Well kid," The man began as he sat up from his chair and started to walk around the desk. "I go by Dante And well, why shouldn't I look like my little bro?"

"Your Nero's brother?!" Ichigo asked incredulously. "How does a Zanpakuto spirit have a twin?"

"We actually have a third brother," Nero revealed as he leaned on the railing. "But he doesn't feel like showing himself."

"I don't care!" Ichigo answered. "Tell him to get his ass-Ah!" He was interrupted as he was pushed to the ground by Dante. Ichigo crooked his head to see an assortment of spectral swords randomly stabbed into the floor.

"That's why," Dante said as he got off Ichigo. "Unless he wants to, He isn't going to show up by you shouting your ass off." He stuck out his hand to Ichigo, which was grabbed and he helped Ichigo up.

"Alright." Ichigo relented. "I won't ask for him. But how do I have three Zanpakuto?"

"I'm not exactly a Zanpakuto spirit, but I'll give you a hint," Dante started, having a smirk on his face. "I'm the one giving you the ability to regenerate."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in concentration for a moment before widening them. "You're…my inner Hollow?" He said unsure, earning a short clap from Dante.

"Got it in one, kid! Guess you're smarter than most people assume." Dante complemented. He was about to continue but jumped in order to dodge a swipe from Ichigo's spectral arm.

"You're going to die!" Ichigo declared as he took several quick steps forward, intent on "purging" the Dante. He would have continued, but he found himself held in the air by Nero's own spectral arm.

"Let go of me, Nero!" Ichigo demanded as he struggled to be released.

"I guess he's getting to be in his rebellious face." Dante joked as he landed on his desk.

"Calm down Ichigo!" Nero ordered. "If Dante wasn't here, you would be dead because of your wounds!"

"What!" Ichigo asked, calming down ever so slightly. "If he's a Hollow, why would he help me?"

"If you didn't try to give me a close shave, I would have finished," Dante said. "I'm your inner Hollow, but I'm more than that. I'm your hollowfied Zanpakuto."

"How does that make a difference?" Ichigo asked.

"If I were just a Hollow, I would be more bestial and lack a representation of my powers," Dante explained as he rolled behind his desk and grabbed a sword that was leaning against it.

It was a large broadsword with two notches near the end of the blade. The crossguard emerged from a skeletal guard, having a screaming skull on one side and a demonic variant on the other. The pommel was made up of several spikes.

"But since I'm a hollowfied Zanpakuto, I've got the powers of both worlds," Dante told Ichigo as he spun the broadsword in his hand.

Ichigo was let go by Nero and Dante walked in front of him, still holding his sword. He forced it's grip into Ichigo's left hand, positioning the blade right on his chest. "And since I'm still a Zanpakuto, I can purify myself. And if you want to, right now, you can do it."

Ichigo held the blade on Dante's chest for several minutes before putting his arm to his side. "No. If you wanted to harm me in any way, you probably would have done it by now." Ichigo rationalized.

"You got it in one Ichigo!" Dante agreed. "I'm your friendly Hollow/Zanpakuto." He grabbed his sword from Ichigo's hand. "Wanna see a magic trick?"

Ichigo didn't have a chance to say anything before Dante rammed his sword through his chest, the blade sticking out through his back. "Are you crazy?!" Ichigo asked as he started to shake Dante widely. "You just purified yourself!?"

"Oh, I'm melting! I'm melting!" Dante said dramatically as he went on his knees and raised his hand. "Oh, the humanity!"

"Just shut up Dante!" Nero said irritated as he chucked Blue Rose at Dante's head, which bounced into Ichigo's hands.

"Ruin my fun, spoilsport," Dante complained as he sat up and pulled out the sword and turned to Ichigo. "I was joking. You wouldn't be able to purify me with my own sword. It would be a paradox since it would also try to purify the Zanpakuto part along with the Hollow part."

"So why did you say you would be purified?" Ichigo asked, slightly amused by Dante's antics.

"A sign of trust," Dante answered simply as he tossed the sword back to Ichigo. "You probably will want to use that."

"Why wouldn't I just use Nero?" Ichigo asked. "Though I do like this. It feels a bit more familiar."

"If you want to feel familiarity," Dante began, not answering Ichigo's question, as he opened a closet and pulled out a tripartite nunchaku, with the tips of the metal rods being covered in ice. The rods themselves were connected to the ring by ethereal chains. "This will feel like a lost part of your soul!"

The weapon was tossed to Ichigo, who caught it and slipped his hand through the ring. "I feel like I wielded this before." He mused.

"That's because you have," Dante answered as he shut the closet door with one hand, the other holding two holsters with two pistols. Both resembled slightly bulky M1911s, one being black as night, the other being white as snow.

The pistols were tossed to Ichigo, who caught the holsters with his remaining hand, having stabbed the sword into the ground. He quickly put the holsters on and felt them adjust to fit him perfectly.

"As I was saying, you technically wielded Cerberus before." Dante started, naming the ice-covered weapon. "It was made up of Rukia's remaining Reiryoku that remained here."

"I thought I lost all of Rukia's Reiryoku after Byakuya kicked my ass?" Ichigo said confused.

"You would have if I didn't decide to take the small fragment and mutate it into that weapon, Cerberus." Dante answered, earning a look of understanding from his wielder.

"I see that you won't kill each other," Nero muttered to himself with a slight smirk. "What a tragedy." He then turned on his heel and left through the door connected to the landing.

"You know what Dante." Ichigo randomly said as he stood in front of the door. "I know the answer to my question from earlier. About using Nero. You want me to get used to using all of your stuff, right?"

Yea!" Dante answered. "Don't worry about training with them. They'll come by instinct, they're Hollow in origin. Now go out there and say my true name!"

Ichigo remained silent as he kicked open the door and walked out. As he was partially out through the door, he yelled, "You got it,** Rebelión! (Rebellion)**" With those words uttered, Ichigo left Dante's inner world.

"Kick some ass kid," Dante said to himself as he smashed his hand on his jukebox, causing it to start playing music.

* * *

Trish and Lady looked on as Ichigo was pushed into the building and didn't get back up. "Ichigo!" Lady yelled out in worry as she began to run towards Ichigo, with Trish following.

Their jog to help Ichigo was interrupted by Zabimaru smashing in front of them. "Where do you think you're going?" Renji asked as he kept his eyes on the duo. "You think that your friend is still alive? You are wrong then since he won't be getting up."

"You want to bet that?" Trish asked. "He's a fighter. Better than either me or Lady." She placed a hand on her hip. "So I recommend you be prepared to have your ass kicked."

"Oh really?" Renji asked with a smirk as he pulled back Zabimaru. "Let's see if he will save your friend then!"

Lady quickly rolled out of the way of the Zabimaru blade. "I guess your aim is a bit off." She taunted as the blade-whip was retracted.

Renji growled as he turned his back to where Ichigo still remained. "You have a loud mouth. But this is going to silence you!" He declared as he pulled his blade for a killing blow.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lady saw a red mass of energy originating from where Ichigo was and speed towards Renji, which smashed into his back, knocking him off balance and saving Lady from death.

"Ah!" Renji yelled in pain as he struggled on the ground. He managed to roll onto his back and saw Ichigo slowly walking out of the destroyed wall. In his right hand was a large broadsword with notches on both sides of the blade. The guard was skeletal with a rib cage having a screaming skull on one side and a demonic skull on the other. The grip was plain, but the pommel was several spikes. It was currently resting on his shoulder.

In his left hand was Ebony, his black pistol. Ichigo held it in front of him, showing that it was recently fired. "How about you leave those ladies alone?" He suggested as he continued walking forward. "And instead play with Ebony and Ivory!"

"You...will...lose!" Renji forced out as he got up on shaky legs. When he took a closer look at Ichigo, he saw two brown holsters on his chest which held one other pistol and kept together the scraps of his outfit slightly better.

"Let's find out then." Ichigo said with a grin as he holstered his pistol. He gave a slightly step with his right leg and disappeared with a boom of sound. Renji panicked, looking for Ichigo. He found him behind him and dashing towards him.

Renji swung Zabimaru, extending it while it swung, intent on slicing Ichigo in half. He was caught off guard when Ichigo pulled out Cerberus.

The nunchaku slammed into Zabimaru, freezing it to the ground and allowing Ichigo to hop over it. He quickly let out a deadly thrust with his broadsword, which carried him with it, hitting Renji in the back with it.

Renji yelled out in pain as the blade pierced his chest, causing him to bleed blood. "And that's the winning blow." Ichigo declared as he pulled out his sword. He pointed Ebony down and said, "And here the victory lap!"

Ebony's shot was severally weakened by Ichigo, having only enough strength to knock out Renji. "Oh!" Ichigo groaned out, supporting his weight on Rebellion. Despite his fight, he still had yet to recover all of his Reiryoku, and that fight didn't do him any favors.

"Thank god!" Trish spoke up as she hugged Ichigo, who was knocked onto the ground by her. "I thought you may have died!"

"Ah" Ichigo sounded as he weakly attempted to get Trish off of him, but failed. "I'm not dead obviously, so you mind getting off of?"

"Pfft, such a prune." Trish teased as she reluctantly got off of and helped Ichigo up. "So I see you've got some new gear.

"Ah yes, because you need more overpowered things." Lady said with an eyeroll, walking up to them.

"What, no thanks for saving you?" Ichigo asked, earning a blush from Lady.

"Shut up." She ordered as she gave him a hug. "But...Thank you."

"What's the deal with your new toys?" Trish asked, curious about the weapons Ichigo seem to pull out of nowhere.

"Let's get some cover first," Ichigo suggested as he narrowed his eyes for a brief moment and felt a pulse radiate from him. The pulse traveled outward until it reverberated against a tile. "This way!"

He made his way to the tile and grabbed it, pulling it up and revealing a small shaft with a ladder, bathed in darkness. "Lady first!" Ichigo said as Trish and Lady stood around the shaft.

"Why me first?" Lady asked. "Shouldn't it be you or Trish first?"

"You're wearing a skirt." Ichigo pointed out bluntly. "So unless you want me to see up your skirt, you're going first."

"Most guys would probably want to look up a hottie's skirt like Lady's," Trish mentioned as Lady began to descend the ladder, Kalina surprisingly not getting stuck.

"Who am I? Keigo?" Ichigo muttered, earning a confused look from Trish. "He's a friend of mine. Though he's a dumbass."

"I guess we'll meet him when we start school," Trish said as she went down the shaft.

Ichigo soon followed them, pushing the tile back into place and eventually hitting the stone floor. He looked around and saw it was a sewer of some kind. "I guess this will be a fine hideout." Ichigo commented, seeing that it was surprisingly well kept, if slightly dank and dark.

"So, onto the story about the new toys," Ichigo said as sat against the wall, Trish and Lady doing the same. "Turns out, I've got more than one Zanpakuto spirit."

"Why is that odd?" Lady asked, cradling Kalina Ann in between her legs.

"Normally, Shinigami only have one Zanpakuto," Ichigo explained. "But I have three. But what's weird is that he's also my inner Hollow."

"Is that dangerous?" Trish asked. "And how did you even get an inner hollow?

"He isn't dangerous, he was the one who gave my high-speed regeneration, so he's helpful," Ichigo explained. "And for where he's from? I had a hollow mask when I got my Shinigami powers back after I got out of the Shattered Shaft, so maybe he's from there."

"Huh, so what do you think Lady?" Trish asked as Lady had remained quiet.

Ichigo looked to his left, where Lady was, in worry. 'Does she hate me now?' He asked himself. He could see why she would, with how her father and mother turned out; the first turning into a Hollow and the other being killed by said hollow/father.

"I don't care," Lady said bluntly, slightly yawning at the end. "I'm too tired to care and besides, if that Zanpakuto-Hollow thingy didn't help, I wouldn't have my pillow." She promptly laid her head on his right leg and started to sleep.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Ichigo asked in a slightly irritated tone, though relieved that Lady didn't care about Dante.

"Just shut it," Lady replied with her eyes closed. "You were acting like a gentleman earlier, so act like it now."

"I have to agree with Lady," Trish said as she followed Lady's example, laying her head on Ichigo's other leg. "Be a gentleman to the ladies."

Ichigo just sighed in resignation, knowing that they were both too stubborn to move. And he himself was starting to feel sleep come to him. He soon passed out, hearing faint laughter that sounded like Dante, who might have been laughing at his situation.


	5. The Spirit in Blue

Ichigo groaned as he started to wake up. 'The wall is still as uncomfortable as it was last night.' Ichigo complained to himself as he attempted to stretch, but realized that Lady and Trish were still laying on him.

'Aren't you in a compromising position.' Dante taunted, slightly startling Ichigo.

'Since when the hell can you speak to me? And where's Nero?' Ichigo rapid fired questions.

'I'm here.' Nero answered with a sigh. 'And since Dante revealed himself, he's able to speak to you whenever he wants.'

'Geez, if I didn't experience everything up till now, I would have thought I was crazy'

'Oh don't be like that! If anything, I just make your life more fun!' Dante retorted. 'But I recommend you get going. It's early morning and there's no one above.'

'How exactly do you know that?' Ichigo asked.

'It's a technique called Pesquisa. It's like sonar for sensing Reiryoku, and there are none above you. You did use it last night to find this sewer.' Dante explained.

'Seems useful.' Ichigo mentioned.

"What you thinking about?" A voice whispered into his ear, causing him to slightly jump. Or he would have if a hand clenched his shoulder and kept him in place.

"Calm down," Trish suggested with an eyeroll. "It's just me."

"Then why are you whispering?" Ichigo harshly whispered.

Trish put a finger to her lips as a shushing motion and pointed to Lady. When Ichigo turned his head, he saw she was still sleeping on his thigh, but constantly turning her head and constantly muttering things.

When Ichigo focused his hearing, he could make out what she was saying. "No, leave her...alone!" She tossed and turned more before saying something else. "Please father, leave him alone!"

"What the hell is she freaking out about?" Ichigo asked in slight concern.

"It's a nightmare," Trish said. "She's been freaking out about Arkham and her mom. She's been holding it all in. I guess that you being her pillow relaxed her and caused it all to come out."

"That sucks," Ichigo muttered. "But we need to get up soon. It's morning according to Dante." With Trish nodding, Ichigo lightly poked Lady's head, causing her to stir. "Get up Lady. Unless you want to be stuck in a sewer and use me as a pillow."

"She probably would be fine with the latter," Trish mentioned.

"Screw it," Ichigo said with an eyeroll. "Oi! Wake up, Lady!"

"Mmhm!" Lady groaned as she finally began to fully wake up. "What are you yelling about Ichigo?"

"We need to get going," Ichigo explained. "It's morning and they're no one above."

"Alright," Lady answered as she reluctantly got off Ichigo. "Let's get a move on!"

Ichigo and Trish got on their feet and went up the ladder, with Ichigo going first, with Trish and Lady following. Ichigo pushed the tile up and peeked through it, just to make sure there was no one. Not seeing a soul, they made their way up the stairs they saw earlier, with Ichigo noticing that Renji had been moved.

"So it that Renji guy still alive?" Lady asked. "Your guns did a number on him."

"He is," Ichigo answered. "Ebony and Ivory fire out a Hollow technique called Bala. The one I used to finish him was pretty weak, so I just knocked him out."

"Is there any differences between the guns?" Lady asked curiously. "They seemed designed differently for a reason."

Ichigo pulled out Ebony and Ivory and held them so Lady could see. "Ivory is more rapid fire and Ebony is focused more on strength. They usually are set to standard mode; where they fire at the same time." He put them back into their holsters. "That enough of an explanation for you?"

"We don't want to overwork your mind, so yes." Lady taunted playfully. "But do you think that stuff is going to be enough to save this Rukia?"

"I can't die due to high-speed regeneration healing all of my injuries, I've got long-range capabilities, and my swords are pretty deadly." Ichigo listed off. "And with you two being my back up, I think we're pretty good."

"Why aren't you a flatterer," Trish said. "But how do you know that I'm strong? I haven't shown anything besides my lightning."

"You did say that you have a dragon equivalent of a Zanpakuto. And it's more like two now that I think about it." Ichigo said with his hand running through his hair. "What exactly can your sword do? It turn into a dragon or something?"

"It can do something like that," Trish answered. "Though I'll only do that if it's dire enough."

"Lucky," Lady said. "Here I am with only a fuckload of guns that can one-shot Shinigami. I feel so inferior." The sarcasm of her voice was so heavy it could be felt. "Ah!" She sounded as all three felt a heavy pressure on them like it was suffocating them.

Lady fell to her knees as the pressure became too much for her. "Mary!" Trish yelled in worry for her friend as she went to her side and helped her up, supporting her weight with her shoulder.

"What the hell is causing this?!" Ichigo asked as his eyes darted around, attempting to locate the origin of the pressure. He quickly remembered Pesquisa and used it, closing his eyes to concentrate. That was when he felt a terrifying amount of Reiryoku. It was like a wildfire and Ichigo felt that it was only a fraction of the Reiryoku.

When his eyes were opened and turned to where the Reiryoku was coming from, it caught sight of a monster of a man standing on top of a building. The man was giant and was muscular. The beast of a man had his black hair in spikes that flowed backwards. He appeared to only have one eye, the right eye covered by an eyepatch.

His attire was a standard Shinigami outfit, with bandages wrapped around his midsection, and having a white, ragged, haori covering the entire form. In his hand was an old and battered katana, the blade being dulled and chipped by many battles.

"So that's the asshole who's causing this?" Ichigo asked himself.

"If you're talking about Kenny, yes!" A voice said from his shoulder. Ichigo rapidly turned his head and saw a small kid with pink hair standing on his shoulder, wearing the standard Shinigami garbs and having a katana being held by a cord.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked as he tried to swipe the child off him, who dodged his attempt by jumping off his shoulder. The man soon jumped off the building and landed with the ground cracking under him, the kid landing on his shoulder.

"Who's he?" Trish asked with a struggle. Lady was fairing worse than her, having trouble staying conscious. But was soon doing better as the pressure lessened.

"So you're the Ryoka." The monster said as he approached Ichigo. "The Ryoka who took out Ikkaku."

"So you know who I am, but who are you?" Ichigo asked before turning his attention to Trish and a recovering Lady. "Get your asses out of here and leave him to me."

"Like hell we are!" Trish yelled, being serious for a rare occasion. "You'll be killed if you face him alone!"

"I'm not interested in either of the girls." The beast said. "They can go right past me. I'm only interested in you. So I recommend taking your friend's suggestion."

"I'll be fine." Ichigo reiterated. "So get going!"

"Fine." Trish agreed as Lady managed to stand on her own and they started moving past Ichigo. "Don't you dare die."

"Let's hope this turns out like the last battle." He retorted.

Lady was still for a moment as she was next to Ichigo. The next moment she had wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. "Don't leave us." She whispered as she detached herself from him and caught up with Lady.

"So who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked again.

"I am Kenpachi Zaraki, they Captain of 11th Division." The now named Kenpachi declared.

"Alright. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo said simply as the Captain pulled open his outfit to expose his entire chest.

"How about I give you the first strike?" Kenpachi offered.

"Aren't you a bleeding heart," Ichigo said sarcastically as he pulled out Rebellion and held it loosely, the blade clattering against the cobbled ground. "But cut the charity. If we're going to fight, let's do it full strength."

Kenpachi gave out a slow and low chuckle. "I'm not giving you charity. I'm evening the odds so I can enjoy this fight, even if just a little."

"Tch, if you want me to," Ichigo said as he raised Rebellion and grabbed Blue Rose from his thigh. "Rev up, Aka no Joe!" With the words spoken, the revolver soon transformed into Red Queen and held in his left hand.

He quickly launched himself towards a waiting Kenpachi, the Rebellion and the Red Queen crossing his body. The blades soon grew close to Kenpachi and then hit him.

* * *

Lady huffed as she and Trish stopped for a break. "You think Ichigo is going to be alright?" She asked Trish.

"Probably." She answered. "He's right when he said he's the strongest out of us."

"Heh, your right. He's probably already beat that guy's ass." Lady wiped some sweat off of her forehead, which had built up because of Kenpachi's pressure and moving so much.

"Come on, let's keep going," Trish suggested, earning a nod from Lady. "Though we'll have trouble getting up there."

Lady realized that they were right next to the Senzaikyu. "How the hell are we going to get up there?" She asked as she saw Trish gain a devious smirk.

"Oh just close your eyes and count to three and you'll magically be up there." Trish joked.

"You can't be serious," Lady said, though Trish's face remained straight as she sighed. "Fine." She closed her eyes. "One. Two. Three."

Lady then found herself weightless and the wind rushing past her. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Trish carrying her. She noted that her friend had lightning arcing out of her back in a rudimentary form of wings. "I see you are enjoying Trish airlines." She said cheekily.

"Just don't drop me and I'll be sure to give 5 stars," Lady replied, giving Trish's face a smirk as they flew to save Rukia.

* * *

Pain. That is what Ichigo felt as his blades connected with Kenpachi's body. He looked at his hands to see them bleeding. Even his Devil Bringer had it's hide pierced, a wound on the palm that was bleeding slightly. 'What the hell?' Ichigo asked himself as he felt his wound heal.

"Are you surprised?" Kenpachi asked, noticing that Ichigo was looking at his hands. "When two Reiatsu clash, the weaker one gets pushed back. It gets hurt." The captain gained a malicious smile. "Is that all you can do?"

Ichigo quickly used Sonido to get some space between him and Kenpachi. 'Alright. I can't use my swords since I'll just get the damage on me.' He strategized as he placed Red Queen and Rebellion on his back. 'Let's see what happens with ranged!' He quickly pulled out Ebony and Ivory and started shooting.

Kenpachi looked on as Ichigo put his swords on his back and pulled out two L-shaped objects that shot out red masses of energy. He stood still as the Balas hit his skin, his Reiryoku causing them to reflect back towards Ichigo.

Ichigo rolled out of the way of his reflected Balas. "Oh, this is bullshit!" He swore at Kenpachi. "You haven't even moved, and you're haven't got a scratch on you!"

"That sounds like your problem. I'm not even entertained at this point. This entire thing is an annoyance." Kenpachi tightened his grasped on his katana and started to speed towards Ichigo. "It's time your sorry, weak self to die!"

"Weak?" Ichigo asked as he holstered Ebony and Ivory and grasped Rebellion and Red Queen. "I'll show you weak!" He quickly countered Kenpachi's incoming swing with the crossing of his swords, his anger was subconsciously focusing his Reiatsu on one thing; Takedown Kenpachi.

"Oh? It seems you managed to figure it out." Kenpachi said as Ichigo started to wildly swing his swords, occasionally slashing him. "You've managed to focus your Reiatsu to pierce mine."

"Don't care," Ichigo said bluntly as he pressed the lever on Red Queen as he landed a strike on Kenpachi, causing the sword to roar to life with fire, burning Kenpachi where the sword cut him.

"Now this is starting to get fun." Kenpachi finally started to get on the offensive, quickly bringing his sword down. Ichigo matched it with a swing of Rebellion, the clash creating a shockwave.

Kenpachi gained a wide smile as he began to slam his blade down more and more, getting quicker as he did so.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as his feet began to dig into the ground. 'His strikes are becoming stronger!' He noted as he used Sonido to dodge a devastating blow from Kenpachi's sword. When the misplaced swing hit the ground, rubble was kicked up in giant pieces.

Ichigo's grip on Rebellion switched to a reverse style as red energy started to gather on the blade, lightning of the same color arced across it. "Drive!" He declared as a line of dark red energy ripped its way towards Kenpachi.

The man's smile widened ever so slightly as his Reiatsu glowed around him in a golden aura as the tip of his blade into the ground. An unruly golden energy wave began to extend from Kenpachi's aura and raced towards Ichigo's energy strike.

The two energy attacks soon clashed, each vying for dominance. The clash eventually ended with an explosion that engulfed the area with light.

* * *

Lady and Trish finally landed on a wooden bridge suspended by ropes. "Alright, let's save this Rukia," Lady said as she and Trish walked up to the door of the Senzaikyu. They noticed two figures in front of the door. One seemed vaguely familiar.

The other was a short Shinigami wearing the robes of his kind and he had black hair.

The familiar figure turned around after hearing Trish and Lady walk on the bridge. "Oh my!" The figure said surprised, the voice revealing it was Ganju. "I'm surprised that you two here. But where's your boyfriend?"

"He's a bit hold up with a Shinigami in our way," Trish answered as she turned her head to the Shinigami that was with Ganju. "Who's the Shinigami with you?"

"Oh!" The Shinigami said slightly scared. "I'm Hanatoro. I'm helping Ganju help rescue Rukia."

"I originally took him as a hostage, but I've grown to appreciate him as a friend!" Ganju explained as he slammed his hand on Hanatoro's shoulder.

"Thank you Ganju." He thanked as the door fully opened, revealing a dark room with a single occupant. Said occupant was short and petite, with black hair and purple eyes. She was wearing white as snow robes and a red collar.

"Huh?" Rukia sounded surprised as she saw the door opened and showed four people.

"Hey! You Rukia?" Lady asked bluntly.

"I am. But why do you ask?" Rukia asked slightly confused as of why they were asking if she was Rukia.

"Oh good," Trish said as she quickly walked over to Rukia and grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her by the shoulder.

"Hey! Let me down!" Rukia yelled as she attempted to remove herself from Trish's grasped.

"Calm it down midget," Lady ordered as she moved to Rukia's eye level. "We've been sent by Ichigo to save you."

"What!" Rukia yelled shocked. "Where is his?"

"Fighting some muscular guy missing an eye. Should be easy for him to take out."

"Did this man wear a white haori?" Rukia asked with slight panic.

"Yeah, he was," Trish answered. "What's so special about a coat?"

"That haori means he's a captain! And from what you said, that man was probably Kenpachi Zaraki!" Rukia yelled in a panic. "Why did he have to be so stupid to face him of all people?"

"You act like he's weak or something. Truth is, he's one of the strongest guys I've met." Lady argued.

"You don't get it to do you?! The man he's facing is a monster!"

"He seemed to think he'll be able to stop him, so we could get you. So quick complaining and let's get going!"

"Oh no we aren't," Ganju spoke up after being unusually silent. "I've got a bone to pick with her."

"What is that?" Lady asked annoyed.

"She's the one who killed my brother!" He quickly formed a fist and rushed towards Rukia and by extension Trish.

"We are not having this right now!" Lady declared as she stopped in front of Ganju and pulled out a pistol, pointing it at him.

"How dare you!"

"Oh shut it! I'm sure that we all have familiar issues and the like. But we can do this later when we're not in knee-deep in enemy territory!"

Ganju thought for a moment before putting his fist down. "Tch fine." He relented.

"Good," Lady said as she put her pistol away. "Let's finally get going."

Trish nodded and they began to leave the Senzaikyu, with Ganju giving Rukia a dirty look from behind.

When they were out on the bridge and making their way to escape, they felt a heavy pressure like Trish and Lady felt, though it was moderately weaker, with Lady only feeling slightly winded.

They looked forward to see a stoic man, slowly and methodically pacing towards them. He had fair skin that was complemented with black hair that was held with a fancy looking white headpiece. Around his neck was a white scarf that flowed in the wind. The rest of his outfit was the standard captain haori and Shinigami garb.

"It's Captain of the 6th Division, Byakuya Kuchiki!" Hanatoro informed in a scared voice.

"Crap. And he's blocking our only way out." Lady said annoyed.

"I see that that you Ryoka managed to get this far." Byakuya pointed out aloofly. "But I'm afraid that is as far as you will go."

Ganju moved ahead of everyone. "If you want to try and get to them. You'll have to get through me!" He declared.

Byakuya's face still remained as Ganju started to run towards him. "It seems I will have to dispose of this scum." He said as he disappeared in a flash, Ganju completely missing him. The Captain soon reappeared as a long cut appeared on Ganju's left arm.

Ganju collapsed on one knee, holding his arm in pain. "I recommend you flee, or else your life is forfeit."

"Sorry to inform you, but Shiba clan members don't run from fights! I can't say the same about coward clans like you though."

Being told that Ganju was a Shiba made Byakuya pause and unsheathe his sword. "I see. I apologize for being so soft on you." He held his blade straight and spoke, "**Scatter, Senbonzakura**."

The blade then glowed a pink color and started to fly off into small pieces.

Rukia's eyes widened at the recognition of what was happening. "No! Brother!" She screamed as she made a futile effort to escape Trish's arm.

The blade fragments soon flew above Ganju, appearing to be bright pink. They then descended like a pack of piranhas when they had smelled blood. They left Ganju a bloody heap, covered in numerous cuts.

"Shit," Lady swore. "What are we going to do?" She turned to see Trish was putting Rukia down with a serious look on her face.

"Watch her," Trish said as she walked to face Byakuya, whose sword had reformed its blade.

"Oh? So you Ryoka think that you can beat me?" He asked coldly.

"Maybe I can. Maybe I can't." Trish admitted as she pulled out Force Edge and prepared to fight Byakuya. "I just have to find out."

"Let us see if you can match me." He replied as they started to fight.

* * *

Ichigo took a gulp of air as he leaned on Rebellion, recovering from the flash of light that his and Kenpachi's energy attacks produced. The flash of light had been accompanied by a large sound boom that damaged them both presumably. 'Definitely did some damage to my organs.' Ichigo noted as he spat out a small amount of blood. 'But he should also be pretty banged up.'

"Are you still alive Ichigo?" Kenpachi asked as Ichigo looked to see him still standing, with small wounds, but still standing with a large smile on his face. "Nice to your still alive, otherwise this fight would just ending disappointingly. I'm surprised that you managed to make me use so much energy."

"Yeah, I guess I'm around your power level," Ichigo answered as he stood up and prepared his swords.

"You are right when I have my eyepatch on." Kenpachi soon grabbed his eyepatch and ripped it off. "And I think that I'll have to remove it to make this more interesting!" He ripped it off and his aura reformed in a destructive and large fashion. He soon rushed towards Ichigo.

Ichigo rolled to the side and slashed Kenpachi's back, but his sword strikes were reflected back onto him and harmed him. Kenpachi quickly turned and stabbed Ichigo through the stomach area, causing him to fall to his knees.

"How disappointing," Kenpachi said as he pulled out his sword and began to walk away. "Here I thought you could be a more interesting opponent."

'Damn it!' Ichigo raged as he fell to the ground, Red Queen and Rebellion clattering to the ground. 'Power! I need more power!' He told himself as he felt unconsciousness engulf him.

Instead of passing out, Ichigo found himself standing in a white void, akin to a painting waiting to be painted upon.

"Goddammit. This again?" Ichigo asked out loud as he looked around. "Nero? Dante? You around here?"

"They are not present." A voice informed behind Ichigo, who jumped slightly in surprise and turn around.

The person looked similar to Dante in appearance and age, though his hair was swept back. His face was stoic as a statue, though Ichigo could sense some form of hidden kindness in his eyes. He was wearing a blue trenchcoat with gold lining, three coattails and a white serpentine pattern around the collar, with the head hanging over the right and the tail extended to the bottom of the coat. The cuffs had 5 straps with golden buttons.

Underneath the coat was a blue ascot with a black vest. His pants were dark green with a scale pattern and were tucked into tall brown boots with two straps. He had on finger-less tan gloves.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked. "Are you their brother?"

"Do you hear it?" The man asked, ignoring Ichigo's question. "It speaks to you."

Ichigo growled at being ignored but focused his hearing and heard whispers all saying the same word: "Power."

"Isn't that what you desire. Power?" The man asked. "But what is your motivation for having this power?"

"I'll use that power to protect my friends. And to save Rukia." Ichigo answered.

His response had the effect of a surprise small smile on the man's face. "I see. I shall give you that power." The void then seem to shimmer for a moment before Ichigo saw that the man now had a black sheath in his left hand with a cord attached to it. In the sheath was a katana with a grip braided with white and dark blue material. The guard was an oval shape.

The man raised his left hand, positioning the blade in front of him. Ichigo walked towards him and grabbed the sheath, but the man kept a steel grip. "I should inform you before you wield me. Unlike my brothers, my power is more precise and requires training. So for this one time, I shall help guide you." He informed.

He let go of the sheath, letting Ichigo hold it as he did previously. "Okay. Thank you."

"Now let us beat our opponent. I am **Yamato**!" The now named Yamato told his wielder.

Ichigo soon disappeared as Yamato stood alone. "Let us begin."

* * *

Ichigo felt thrown back into his body. He also felt his stomach wound, but it was no longer bleeding. He pushed himself up and saw that Kenpachi was walking away. "Hey, asshole!" He yelled, causing Kenpachi to turn around in surprise.

"Oh? You're not dead? That's a surprise." Kenpachi admitted. "But how are you going to beat me if you couldn't before?"

Ichigo stood on his feet and held his left hand outward. A blue light appeared and Yamato appeared in his grip. "With this," Ichigo informed.

'Let us begin.' Yamato told Ichigo as Kenpachi stood.

"If your previous swords couldn't pierce me, what chance does your new one have?"

Ichigo slid back and bent his knees and put his hand on Yamato's grip and seemingly pulled it out partly and resheathed it.

Kenpachi was about to speak but was soon caught within a blue bubble that quickly had numerous cuts in it. The bubble soon disappeared and Kenpachi was left with numerous slashes on his body.

He began laughing maniacally. "So this is your new power?! It's wonderful!" He quickly ran towards Ichigo at a breakneck speed. His blade was raised and quickly came down, but instead of harming Ichigo, it just clashed against his skin.

Ichigo looked at his skin and saw a blue pattern on it. 'That is a technique called **Blut Vene (Blood Vein)**' Yamato informed. 'It uses Reiatsu to strengthen blood vessel to increase defense.'

"What technique is that?" Kenpachi asked.

"It's none of your concern," Ichigo told him as he quickly slammed the still sheathed Yamato into Kenpachi's chest and knocked him back lightly. He did it again and followed it by unsheathing the sword and slashing. He quickly spun around and hit Kenpachi again, sheathing Yamato as he did so.

"Ah!" Kenpachi grunted as he stumbled back. "Damn, your actually making me break a sweat." He slashed at Ichigo and managed to land it, but it was blocked by Blut Vene.

Ichigo slashed upwards, launching Kenpachi slightly into the air, where Ichigo followed and continued to slice him, eventually ending with a brutal downward slash that launched Kenpachi back.

Ichigo landed with a grunt and looked as Kenpachi got up. "What is your next move?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm going to kill you!" Kenpachi said. "This fight has been the most fun I've had for centuries! But I'm afraid that I will have to end this." His golden aura reignited, being the biggest and the wildest it has been.

Ichigo panicked for a moment before Yamato spoke to him. 'Calm yourself. I will help you, but you will be on your own after this.'

'Thank you, Yamato.' Ichigo thanked as he felt his own Reiatsu flare into a flame-like aura that grew more and more, eventually matching Kenpachi's.

"How is it that you are still growing stronger?" Kenpachi asked.

"You can thank Yamato. He pulled my ass out of water."

"You talk nonsense!" He dismissed. "A Zanpakuto is only a tool, meant to be used by the wielder!" Kenpachi's Reiatsu soon took a form of a menacing skull.

"Let's see then!" Ichigo responded as his Reiatsu soon took the form of a spectral warrior with a copy of Yamato in its right hand. It had an appendage on its left arm that looked like a sheath.

Ichigo tightened his grip on Yamato's sheath and soon dashed towards Kenpachi, who did the same. The soon were feet away and swung their respective weapons, causing a great shockwave accompanied by a flash of white.

The light soon died to reveal that Kenpachi and Ichigo were standing in a crater. They both soon recoiled in pain as large slashes appeared on both. They soon fell to the ground, barely conscious.

'I have held my end of the bargain.' Yamato told a barely conscious Ichigo. 'I am going to leave you. Do try to stay alive.'

Ichigo felt his presence leave his mind, and also felt his stomach wound start to bleed again. 'Oh no.' Ichigo told himself as soon passed out due to exhaustion. 'Get up!' His body did not obey, however, and he was soon passed out, on death's door.


	6. Revelations and Exposition

Ichigo's eyes fluttered open as he stared up at a rocky ceiling. 'So this is the Shinigami's prison. They have such great quality.' Ichigo told himself sarcastically. He attempted to sit up, but a sharp pain in his stomach area caused him to lay back down.

He crooked his head down to see bandages wrapped around his stomach. "I see that you're still alive." A male tone said.

Ichigo turned his head again to see Yoruichi. Upon looking around the room, he saw it was more of a storeroom, filled with old weapons. "Oh great, it's Yoruichi," Ichigo said. "They get you too?"

"No. I managed to get to you before the Shinigami." Yoruichi informed. "And took you here to nurse you back to health."

"Geez, thanks." Ichigo thanked as he sat up again, doing it slower. "I appreciate the hospitality, but I've gotta get going." He carefully got onto his feet and saw a sheathed Yamato, Rebellion, Cerberus, and Blue Rose laying next to the mat he was laying on.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Yoruichi hissed out. "You need to rest!"

"Sorry, but I've got to save the midget's ass." He knelt down and holstered Blue Rose, placed Rebellion on his back, Cerberus on his lower back, and grasped Yamato in his left hand.

"No, you won't!"

"Oh, I'm so scared!" Ichigo said sarcastically. "What are you going to? Scratch my eyes out?" He pushed past the cat and walked to the door.

Ichigo felt Yoruichi land on his shoulder and his head was smacked. Again. And again. He eventually got sick of the headbutting and tossed Yoruichi off him. "Knock it off!" He yelled irritably. "That's only going to make me want to leave more."

"How about this?" A now female voice called out. Ichigo turned around to see a nude, beautiful woman with dark skin and purple hair in a ponytail. "This enough to get your attention?"

"Put on some damn clothes," Ichigo said bluntly. "And I'm not going to be seduced by you Yoruichi."

"How did you know it was me?" She asked, legitimately surprised he knew it was her. "I've never shown my true form to you."

"Your eyes. They look exactly the same." He said, "And I don't see a cat bitching about how I shouldn't go."

"But you shouldn't!" Yoruichi argued as she started to put on clothing. "Your wounds have yet to heal."

How the hell did you get me here?" Ichigo asked randomly as he just pushed the door open, showing the door opened to a small cliff and a steep drop.

Yoruichi finished getting her clothes on. "I hate wearing this." She complained. "I got here by using this thing." She pulled out a beige, bone-like item. "You put Reiryoku into this thing and it allows you to fly, no experience required!" She felt it leave her grasp as she saw Ichigo was now holding it with his right hand.

"I'm surprised it isn't being absorbed." He commented. "Thanks for my exit!" He quickly jumped, disappearing from the view of Yoruichi. He then reappeared with a bat like wing, carrying him to the Senzaikyu.

'How could I be so stupid!' Yoruichi insulted herself as she quickly followed Ichigo through the door. 'I've got to get to him!'

* * *

Trish shot out a bolt of lightning from her hand, but Byakuya simply dodged it and quickly used Shunpo to close the gap between them. She reacted quickly with a forward slash with Force Edge, which was blocked with Senbonzakura.

Byakuya attempted a precise cut at Trish's neck, but he hit only sparks of yellow lightning. He felt his haori be pulled back, showing Trish had managed to get behind him. She continued pulling him back and smashed a fist into his face, knocking him into the ground.

She quickly stabbed Force Edge where Byakuya was, intent on finishing him. "To slow," Byakuya said behind her. She looked to see he was indeed standing behind her. Her eyes quickly turned to see the Byakuya on the ground was no longer there.

_"Hado #4 Byakurai_," Byakuya said as he pointed his index finger towards Trish and shot out a bolt of pale blue lightning, which pierced through her chest.

He turned his back to focus on Lady and everyone else. "It seems that your last hope is dead. And you shall follow." He declared as he slowly made his way towards them. His feet stopped when he heard the crackle of lightning behind him.

His eyes slightly widened as he saw Trish was still standing, now with a yellow aura with lightning occasionally buzzing. She also now dawned a pair of black sunglasses. "Sorry Byakuya, but you really shouldn't use lightning on a girl who's entire shtick is lightning," Trish said.

She disappeared and reappeared in front of Byakuya, sword already in motion. The blade left a large gash on his chest. Byakuya let out a small painful grunt as he stepped back lightly. He swung Senbonzakura and struck Trish's chest.

The sword had sparks on the blade as he pulled it back. "Ain't going to work," Trish commented as her wound began to heal rapidly. She let out a lightning bolt from her hand, surprising Byakuya and hitting his sword, acting as a lightning rod and shocking him.

"You are proving to be a surprising foe." Byakuya complimented. "But I will finish this-" His words were cut off as a figure quickly descended with a large broadsword slamming into Byakuya, who managed to use Shunpo to create distance between them.

"Hey, there asshole," Ichigo said as he rested Rebellion on his shoulder. "And nice to see you, ladies." He gave Trish's aura a once over and nodded. "Dig the new look. But what happened to your choker?" He saw that the choker's gem was now a diamond shape.

"Partial release," Trish said simply.

"Ichigo?" Rukia asked hesitantly. She was hesitant to believe it was him due to his now white hair.

"I see you haven't changed midget." He commented as he walked over to her. "But we can catch up when I beat his ass." He pointed to Byakuya.

"You can't beat him!" She argued. "He's-Ah!" Her objection was interrupted by Ichigo smacking Yamato on her head, causing her to hold her head.

"Always a downer Rukia. Oh ye of little faith, try to have a little of what you lack." Ichigo said as he turned to Lady. "Sorry for being a little late. Got caught up."

"At least to you didn't stand up the date," Lady commented. "Now go kick his ass."

"Of course milady. Just keep an eye on her." She nodded, which gave Ichigo the confidence to turn to Byakuya. He eventually stood next to Trish. "We double-teaming him?"

"Scared that'll manage to beat his ass before you?" She asked lightheartedly "Don't worry, I protect you from scary Byakuya!"

"It is quite presumptuous to believe that you can beat me." Byakuya rang out. "Observe, **Scatter Senbon**-" His release phrase was cut off by a white fabric wrapping around Senbonzakura's blade. A figure soon landed in front of him. "Yoruichi Shihoin!"

"It's been a while since I've seen you little Byakuya." Yoruichi teased. "But I'm afraid I can't let this little brawl go on."

"Nice to see you Yoruichi!" Ichigo greeted with slight sarcasm. "But we've got to get this little showdown done and over with."

She turned to face him before disappearing. She reappeared in front of him and caught him off guard and promptly shoved her hand through his stomach, reopening.

"The fuck!" He swore as he felt himself getting more tired. "Why am I always getting knocked out? It's annoying." He then passed out and Yoruichi hoisted him on her shoulder.

"You bitch!" Lady insulted. "He could have won!"

"I won't argue with a kid that hasn't seen a true battle," Yoruichi said.

"Do you believe that I will let you leave with the Ryoka?" Byakuya asked. "You are mistaken."

"Look at Byakuya talking high and mighty. But you could never catch me in tag." They soon began a game of cat and mouse, while Trish walked back to Lady and Rukia.

"The hell are we going to do?" Lady asked. "We have a chance of getting away right now."

"I'm staying!" Rukia declared. "I won't let you take me!"

"Why the hell are you talking crazy?" Trish questioned. "Our entire reason for being here is rescuing you!"

"The chick just ran off." Lady pointed out as Yoruichi started to flee. "We got to make a decision now!"

"Ichigo's going to be pissed to hell," Trish muttered to herself before she grabbed Lady by the armpits and quickly took off, her lightning forming her wings, following Yoruichi.

While they were barely able to follow Yoruichi, Lady asked a question. "How pissed do you think Ichigo going to be that we ditched Rukia?"

"I don't know," Trish admitted. "Fifty-fifty split that he's either mad beyond hell or he understands why."

"Let's hope lady luck is with us," Lady commented as Trish decided to speed up in an attempt to catch up to Yoruichi. They eventually saw that she jumped off a cliff. They followed her and saw that she enter a door attached to the cliff face.

Trish began descending and tossed Lady through the door before following her. They saw Yoruichi had set Ichigo down and was panting.

"Getting a little tired?" Trish asked, removing her sunglasses and resealing her power. The gem on her amulet reabsorbed her aura like a vacuum, returning to the original form. "We'll be sure to give you more of a workout."

"How did you two get here?" Yoruichi asked shocked. She had expected them to be captured by the Shinigami.

"Sorry to disappoint but we aren't the type to be damsels in distress." Lady objected. "Now why did you run off."

"Ichigo couldn't beat Byakuya," Yoruichi explained. "He wasn't even using Shikai and was holding his old against Trish. So what are the chances that he would be able to survive against him using that or even Bankai?"

"We won't be able to find out," Ichigo grunted out, who had woken up while they were arguing and was now on his feet. "I'm still pissed that you shoved your hand through me! Though I'm glad they managed to get out of there."

"Are you not made that we didn't nab Rukia?" Trish asked.

"Slightly." He admitted. "But we've got one more chance on the day of the execution. They probably would stack the security where Rukia is now, so that's not that a no go."

"And how do you think you'll succeed?" Yoruichi asked. "You would have to deal with all of the Captains there?"

"And what do you suggested we do, oh wise leader?!" Ichigo snapped. "Just pack it and head home?"

"No. You need to get stronger." Yoruichi said. "You need to obtain Bankai." She soon began to move to a ladder that descended downward. "Follow me."

"I'm getting deja vu," Ichigo muttered with a slight shudder. "Though I'm interested to see what's she's saying." He started to slide down the ladder.

Trish and Lady looked at each other and decided to follow Ichigo. They eventually saw a large expansive room that resembled a desolate landscape with a clear sky.

"You better not throw me in a chasm," Ichigo said with narrowed eyes. "Otherwise I will dump water on you."

"Don't be ridiculous Ichigo." Yoruichi waved off as she pulled out a white cut out. "In order to obtain Bankai, one must train for 10 years."

"Do you have a time chamber or something?" Ichigo asked. "Otherwise that's tossed in the trash."

"That is why I have this thing," Yoruichi told him. "Kisuke developed this to draw out a Zanpakuto and force it into submission. Though you only have 3 days."

"What the hell do I even stab into it?" Ichigo asked. "Yamato, Rebellion, or Red Queen?" He jumped when a red blast shot into the cutout, destroying it.

"How about option D, none at all," Dante called out, not from Ichigo's mind, but behind him. Ichigo swiveled his head around to see not only Dante holding Ebony but also Nero and Yamato standing. "Geez, tough crowd."

'How are you guys out here?" Ichigo asked flabbergasted.

"It's because you accepted all of us," Yamato informed as he crossed his arms. "We now are able to appear in the real world."

"As Vergil said, we can help whop ass," Dante said.

"I'm guessing you have to beat mine first?" Ichigo asked. "Since I need to get Bankai."

"Only Nero's going to," Vergil informed. "I suppose it's important that we talk about your ancestry."

"What's the big deal with how I came from? We need to start now." Vergil disappeared from Ichigo's perception for a brief moment with a flicker before reappearing in front of him. And quickly smashed Yamato's sheathed end into his Ichigo's head.

"I will not tolerate stupidity," Vergil warned. "And knowing of your ancestry will help you obtain even more power."

"Alright." Ichigo relented. "Just don't smash that thing into me again! That thing hurts."

"Can we start story time?" Dante asked. "I got a perfect dramatic voice for this!"

"Should we be here?" Lady asked. "This seems personal."

"You two are allowed." Ichigo pointed a finger at Yoruichi. "Though I don't trust her."

"What?!" She asked offended. "Why not?"

"What part of chest stabbing pisses me off doesn't make sense?" He snapped. "Though I could care less if you know."

"If you wish for her to hear," Vergil answered.

"Let's start with your Zanpakuto." Dante began. "Because that's a bit of a doozy."

"What's so special with you guys?" Ichigo asked. "Aren't you all just one Zanpakuto?"

"No, we're all representations of your ancestry. I'm your badass Hollow, and Nero's your Shinigami. I think Vergil should explain what he represents."

"Ichigo, I am your Quincy Powers," Vergil revealed.

"So I'm related to Uryu?!" Ichigo panicked slightly before being smacked once again with Yamato's sheath. "I said to knock that off!"

"I will if you won't be stupid." Vergil retorted before getting a small smirk. "Or you'll get very familiar with my sheath. And yes, you are distantly related to the one known as Uryu. You are Quincy due to your mother."

"My mother was a Quincy?"

"Yup. That's where I'm from too!" Dante interrupted. "Your mom got attacked by a Hollow and got injected with its Reiryoku. That eventually attached to your Zanpakuto."

"And that's resulted in you guys?"

"Nope, that was after this happened." Dante began as he thought of how he and his siblings were born/created.

*Flashback*

"**So you're my roommate**?" A warped voice asked in a sideways city, filled with skyscrapers. The owner was a mirror of Ichigo, though everything about him was white. White skin, white spiky hair, and white Shinigami robes. His eyes were a sickly yellow with the sclera being black. On his back was a giant meat cleaver covered in black bandages.

"I am not a roommate." A calmer voice answered. This one belonging to a middle-aged man with long black hair and stubble. His eyes were covered with a brown tinted visor. His tall form was covered by a midnight black cloak, with only a white ragged collar peaked out of the cloak. "I shall become Ichigo's main source of power."

"**Heheheh! That's really funny!**" The white figure said. "**What's going through your little mind that thinks I'm letting you roll through here and become the King's horse?**"

"I was hoping you would be compliant and allow me to have your name, Zangetsu." The cloaked one said with a slight sigh.

Zangetsu let out a fit of psychotic sounding laughter. "**Now you're just going to break my sides, old man!**" He exclaimed in between laughs. "**But sorry to say, you have little chance in beating me, Quincy!**" Zangetsu grabbed the meat cleaver from his back, the bandages unveiling its white blade., and made a dash towards his opponent at breakneck speed.

The Quincy made an open hand as a broadsword engulfed with blue flames formed in his grasp. He countered Zangetsu's aggressive strike with a calm stroke with his broadsword. He then thrusted his sword towards Zangetsu.

His blade was quickly wrapped with the black bandages of Zangetsu's own sword, which was on a direct path towards Quincy's head. Quincy's shadow appeared in front of himself and teleported him away.

"**No, you don't!**" Zangetsu declared as he began to swing his sword by the cloth like a flail. He then swung it in a wide arc, hitting Quincy as he appeared. When Quincy was hit, he turned into a black mass and melded into the ground like a shadow. "**What?**" He sounded as he felt a blade pierce his chest.

"Now you will obey," Quincy said harshly as Zangetsu felt himself being absorbed into Quincy's blade.

"**No. Not yet**." Zangetsu ragged out as he raised his arm with his sword in it. "**Ban-kai!**" His declaration was accompanied with an encompassing wave of white energy with a red outline, knocking Quincy back a considerable distance.

When the wave dissipated, Zangetsu's weapon was replaced with an entirely white blade with a small chain length with a broken link at the end. His outfit now had a black lined, white, ankle length coat that was closed at the chest and ended in ragged ends.

"**Tensa Zangetsu**," Zangetsu muttered as he turned to a standing Quincy. "**Looks like you may actually give me a fight! That's surprising.**"

"It matters not," Quincy said as several clones of himself appeared around Zangetsu. "You will submit."

The clones quickly enclosed Zangetsu. They all attempted to stab Zangetsu, but they failed as he disappeared from view and appeared above, his blade being coated in his Reiatsu.

"**Getsuga Tensho!**" He declared as the Reiatsu was unleashed in an arc and crashed into the clone swarm, dissipating them all in the single attack.

"Enough," Quincy said. "Why must you resist?"

"**Its pretty simple**," Zangetsu answered as he began spinning his sword by the chain link. "**I could care less if you were here and decided to help me and King out.**" He stopped spinning the blade and grabbed it. "Y**ou fucked up by trying to push me out and make yourself the head honcho**."

Zangetsu disappeared from Quincy's view before reappearing and stabbing him in the stomach. "**Since you thought you could make **me** heel. Make me obey! I've decided to give you a taste of your own medicine**!"

Quincy felt what Zangetsu felt earlier, but was quicker and he felt something else leave him. He collapsed on the ground with a hand holding him up after Zangetsu pulled out his sword. "What...have you….done?" He asked as he looked up to stare at Zangetsu.

He stood silent as he processed what he absorbed before gaining a smirk. "**So that's your plan Yhwach? Try to kill my wielder?**" He asked. "**Looks like I'm going to throw a wrench in that plan!**"

"You cannot contain all of that power," Yhwach argued. "Look at what it is doing to you!" He pointed a shaky finger towards Zangetsu's right arm.

When he looked down, Zangetsu saw it was slowly disintegrating. "**Shit**!" He swore as he swapped the grip of his sword to his left hand. "**Looks like your right for once.**"

"Don't you see? Without my help, you will be unable to aid Ichigo." Yhwach said. "We must merge for both of us to survive!"

**"How about no?**" Zangetsu asked rhetorically. He held up his sword as his reflection looked back at him. "**Tensa Zangetsu, Heavenly Chain Slaying Moon. What would happen if I were to cut my chains and relink them to make sure I screw you over?**" He quickly stabbed himself through the gut and pushed it more deeply. "**Moonlit chain...Break and reforge thyself!**"

Zangetsu twisted the blade as a figure of blueish flame flew out of him. It then happened again, but with red energy. He quickly fell to his knees as he turned to Yhwach. "**But before I go, I'll leave you with a little gift!**"

He raised his hand with an open palm. Chains quickly ruptured out of the skyscraper, wrapping around Yhwach. "What are you doing?" He demanded as he attempted to get free.

"**It's my parting gift! I'll leave your fate to Ichigo to decide when he discovers my replacements.**" The chains soon pulled Yhwach down, down into a dark abyss of Ichigo's mind.

'**So this is how it ends?**' He thought to himself as he felt his body become lighter. '**Sorry I never got to meet you King, but my heirs should be a good substitute.**' He soon entirely turned into blue Reiatsu explosion. The explosion then reversed into a teen with white hair and a reptilian right hand.

*Flashback End*

"And that's our birth." Dante ended as everyone besides his brothers were shocked. "I'm guessing you've got questions?"

"If you each are representations of Ichigo's heritage, how are you all Zanpakuto spirits?" Yoruichi asked.

"That's because we are mixed. " Vergil said. "Let's think of it as percentages. I would be 50% Quincy and 25% Hollow and Shinigami. I have enough Shinigami to where I can be summoned and used. It is the same for the fool known as my brother. He's 50% Hollow and 25% everything else."

"What sucks about us it that we don't have Bankai," Dante complained. "It's also why little bro is the only one you're going to be fighting. He's the only one with a Bankai. Any more questions? Ichigo?"

Ichigo nodded his head before opening his mouth, "Where did I get my Shinigami powers? It couldn't have come from my dumbass of a father."

"It did." Dante snickered. "He used to be a Captain before he had to sacrifice his powers to save your mother from the Hollow that attacked her."

"What?" Ichigo asked. "Why the hell didn't he tell me! Or my sisters?"

"It's because he didn't want you to know." Yoruichi butted in. "He felt like it would be better if you were left in the dark."

"Let's get going, Nero," Ichigo said randomly as he stood up. "I've got to work my anger out on you!"

"Looks like you speak my language Ichigo," Nero commented as he pulled out his version of Red Queen, which had a larger lever and an etched base instead of the exhaust ports. "You should now, you can only use my weapon. Not Dante's or Vergil's."

"Why the hell not?" Ichigo asked.

"You're fighting for my Bankai. So you should be able to beat me only using my weapon." He explained. "Or are you scared that I'll beat your ass?"

"I guess you're defective." Ichigo stabbed Rebellion into the ground and hanged Ebony and Ivory's holsters and Cerberus on its hilt. He also tied Yamato's cord to it. "Because your stupid if you think you can beat me!"

"Looks like they're going to have fun," Dante commented as he started to walk away. "I'm going for a walk."

"Where do you think you're going?" Yoruichi asked.

"Got cotton in your ears? I'm going for a light stroll." He continued walking. "I'm going to run interference and see if I can take any Captains or something out. Give us some breathing room."

"Fine." Yoruichi relented as Dante smirked wildly. "Just don't be stupid and lead them back here."

"Fine mom!" Dante said lightheartedly as he used Sonido and appeared on the ladder. "You wish to join me, Vergil? We could see who can kick more ass?"

"Forgive me Dante but I'm going to remain here," Vergil said. "If Ichigo finishes his battle with Nero, I'm going to help him with wielding me."

"Lame," Dante commented as he started to climb the rest of the ladder. "I'm going out on a night of the town."

Vergil just turned and sat on a boulder and watch as Nero and Dante were in a sword lock. 'Let us see what happens Ichigo.' He mused as both Red Queens clashed in a song of sparks and flames.

* * *

'Now what's first?' Dante asked himself. He was standing on the short cliff that the Training Grounds was attached to. 'Let's just see if we can sense anything.' He closed his eyes to focus on Pesquisa.

He felt a pulse or Reiatsu leave him and felt several strong sources of Reiryoku. 'Ah! There's one slightly weaker.' He thought as he opened his eyes. "Let's go give them a little visit!" He quickly disappeared from the cliff.

A short time later, he appeared in front of a walled area with a black gate that was open. "So this is where the source was eh? Always wanted to make a volcano for a science project." Dante made his way through the gates of the SRDI.

He kept a steady pace as he entered the main building, following the source of Reiatsu. "Halt!" A voice commanded behind Dante. "Who are you?"

'Time to play a little.' He told himself as he turned around. He saw the voice belonged to a Shinigami with black hair that was above three horns. "I'm here from the higher-ups. I've been sent to check on the Captain."

"Really? What's your name?"

"En Truder," Dante told him. "Now can I get going? I don't want the higher-ups on my ass."

"I know what you mean." The man replied. "You know where he is? Just be careful. Mayuri can be….Kinda violent."

"Let's see them," Dante said as he continued to walk towards Mayuri. He eventually stood in front of a door and pushed it open.

"Damn it Nemu!" A voice screamed as Dante cracked the door open slightly to here inside. "What couldn't you take care of the Quincy!"

"I'm sorry Master Mayuri." A calm and frankly monotone girl said. Dante cringed when he heard a harsh slap, but no cry from the girl.

'Time to stop a tragedy.' Dante commented to himself with a serious undertone. He raised his foot and crashed it into the door, forcing it open. The open door showed a bruised and battered girl with black hair. A man with blue hair had his palm outstretched, recently used to slap Nemu.

"Who are you?!" Mayuri demanded. "And why shouldn't I kill you immediately?"

"I'm here from the takeout place. I've got an order for Mayuri. Asked for a pizza roll with a side of bullets." Dante drawled Ebony and shot at Mayuri, killing him instantly. "Holy shit! I thought he would dodge it."

"What have you done?" Nemu asked as she stared at Mayuri's dead body. "Why did you kill my father?"

"That wasn't a father," Dante replied. "That was a dick head for hitting his supposed daughter. A person who hurts their children aren't parents, they're monsters."

Nemu stayed silent as Dante passed her and looked around. "Hmm...Now what?" He muttered. He could stay and take out more Shinigami, but if he did, they could potentially track him down.

"I...may know what you can do," Nemu spoke up, causing Dante to turn his head.

"And why would you help me?"

"I thought on what you said about my fath-Captain Mayuri." Nemu corrected herself. "I decided that you were right. Mayuri may have created me, but he...can not be considered my father."

"Hurrah for free will!" Dante cheered. "So what should I supposedly do?"

"Mayuri was working on a weapon that used Reiatsu to fire a projectile." Nemu moved to a wall and transformed her arm into a drill and destroyed the wall, revealing a hidden room.

Dante began walking to peek through the room. He stepped over Mayuri's corpse and noticed a sickly green pale of light. "Oooooh! New weapon!" He said as he held out his hand and the orb quickly entered his grasp and started to form an outline of a sort of bow. It eventually lost its glow and turned into a green bow, with three arrows motifs on each limb, and a beetle head at the middle.

"What is that ability?" Nemu asked curiously. "I've never seen an ability like that."

Dante was playing with his new toy and pulled the bowstring, causing a arrow to appear. "It's a trade secret," Dante said simply as the bow disappeared from his grip. "Using Kafka is going to be fun. Now, what did Mayuri hid in here?"

Dante looked through the rubble and saw a secret workshop with two weapons held in clear containers. Both were shotgun in design. One was a sawed-off shotgun with two magazines on the end. The other had a more elegant design, with an etching on the black metal of the barrel. Its grip was a simplistic pistol one and white.

"These were the weapons Mayuri designing. The one on the left is named Coyote-A with the other being called Revenant." Nemu explained as Dante entered the workshop and pulled out both of the weapons.

He gripped Coyote-A before suddenly pointing it at the wall and pulled the trigger, causing a blast of red energy to shoot out of the barrels. He nodded in approval and held Revenant before shifting the grip to the barrels. "I've got a gift for Ichigo," Dante commented.

"I hope you are pleased," Nemu said as Dante passed her.

"I sure am Missy. I stopped an asshole, got new weapons, and got a gift for my friend." Dante rapid fired as he started to leave. "Adios Nemu, don't let anyone take advantage of you again."

"Wait," Nemu asked as he gave a slight sigh and stopped. "Will you...allow me to follow you?"

"Hmmm….." Dante hummed as he thought about Nemu's proposal.


	7. Obtaining Bankai and Rescuing Rukia

"You getting tired Ichigo?" Nero taunted as he and his wielder were engaged in a blade lock. Both Red Queens were glowing hot and their wielders weren't backing down. "There's no shame in giving up."

"Funny," Ichigo answered as he twisted his sword and stabbed it into the ground, before twisting his body and kicking Nero back. "Look's like your getting a little ragged!"

Nero gave a smirk as he pulled himself up. "Let's see if you can back up your words!" He held his Red Queen like a bat being prepared to swing before he was launch towards Ichigo, his blade wreathed in flames.

He slammed Red Queen into Ichigo but was repelled when Ichigo held up his Devil Bringer and gripped the blade. He tossed Nero into the air for a moment before his spectral arm formed and gripped him.

"Good job Ichigo." Nero complimented as he was launched into a craggy rock, leaving Red Queen on the ground near Ichigo.

"You give up?" Ichigo asked before sidestepping two shots of Reiatsu. "I'll take that as a no then."

"You really are strong ain't ya Ichigo?" Nero asked as pulled himself out of the crater he was shoved into, holding Blue Rose in his left hand. "Unfortunately," Nero held out his Devil Bringer and his Red Queen flew into his grasp. "You've got to try harder to beat me."

"Hah!" Let's see then!" Ichigo rushed towards Nero and slammed his spectral arm into him. He was unable to complete the attack as Nero's own spectral arm was activated and countered Ichigo's. The spectral arms met, again and again, neither getting an edge.

Ichigo eventually leaped and nearly slammed Red Queen into Nero, but missed as the spirit slide back and slashed Ichigo's back. "Ah!" Ichigo sounded before he felt his wounds heal.

Nero didn't let up as he started to slam his sword into Ichigo's, pushing him into the ground. Ichigo's Red Queen eventually began to sprout cracks along the blade.

Nero's last hit was an animalistic slam belonging to a deadly beast and cracked in half. "Guess you really are weak Ichigo," Nero commented in a whisper as Ichigo looked up at him. "If you can't beat me then you can't save Rukia."

He began to walk away as Ichigo slowly got up. "Like hell, I'm going to admit defeat!" He declared as his eyes seem to lighten and glow red. "You will lose!" His left arm and halves of Red Queen began to glow blue. "And you will submit!" He and everything around then glowed blue for a moment before it dissipated.

Ichigo stood there with a blue hazy aura and menacing glowing red eyes. His left hand was now just the same as his right, covered in scales and pulsating blue. The thing that stood out the most was the spectral arm-like wings on his back, with the arms resting on his shoulders and the two spectral, two-bladed, curved shurikens with spikes protruding in the middle orbiting him.

"This….will be..your end," Ichigo muttered nonsensically as he slowly walked towards Nero, his voicing now having an echo. He was close to Nero before he collapsed and the effect disappeared, and Blue Rose appeared on his thigh.

"Guess you achieve Bankai, Ichigo," Nero told an unconscious Ichigo as he put him on his shoulder. "Sorry for being an asshole earlier."

"That was his Bankai?" Yoruichi asked. "I've never seen one like that."

"We aren't regular spirits," Vergil spoke up, having watched the long fight between Nero and Ichigo. "His Bankai is the culmination of is powers. The spectral aspect is Quincy, the transformation of his arm is Hollow, and the blades are the Shinigami. We refer to it as **Dāku Supekutoru Senshi (Dark Spectral Warrior)**."

"What are you going to do until Ichigo wakes up?" Lady asked as she and Trish sat by one another.

"Ooooh! The kid get Bankai already?" Dante asked as he walked up. "And here I got him a present."

"Are you referring to the Revenant prototype?" A voice called behind him.

"Who just said that?" Yoruichi asked as the person stepped out to show Nemu.

"This is Nemu." Dante introduced her. "I help her with an asshole."

"I am Nemu Kurotuschi." She said with a slight bow. "Mister Dante's 'asshole' is referring to Captain Mayuri."

"Mayuri." Yoruichi sounded with wide eyes. "As in the psycho, mime-clown hybrid Captain Mayuri?"

"He didn't have any makeup but did have blue hair. So maybe he was an out of work clown."

"What do you mean 'was'?" She had a peaked eyebrow.

"I killed him." Dante's voice had little remorse present in it. "I don't have remorse for monsters."

"I wasn't going to berate you." Yoruichi had her hands up in mock surrender. "I was looking for context. And I'm kinda surprised that you were able to take him down."

"Captain Mayuri was recovering from a fight with the Quincy Uryu Ishida." Nemu toned out. "He was still recovering and didn't have a chance to react to Mister Dante."

"Oh, my ego!" Dante clenched his chest. "You cruel lady!" He stopped as he looked at Ichigo being held up by Nero's shoulder. "What are we going to do while we wait for sleeping beauty?"

"I've got markers." Yoruichi held up a capped marker. "Let's give him a makeover."

"I may actually like you Yoruichi," Trish said with a wide grin, mirrored by Dante and Yoruichi. Nero and Lady had smaller smiles. Vergil was the only one with a small smirk. "Let's make him look fabulous."

Nero set Ichigo down as a trio consisting of Trish, Yoruichi, and Dante descended on him like struggling artist vultures, making his face look like roadkill. Their creation was paired with hushed giggles as they graffitied his face.

When they were finished, Dante admired there attempted at artistry. Ichigo's face now had a monocle on his left eye and a mock black eye on the other. He also had whisker marks on his cheeks, with a message of, "Property of Trish and Lady" written on his head.

"Think he's going to be pissed?" Trish asked as she nodded in approval of her art.

"We have to wait until he wakes up," Dante said. "But gods know when he's going to wake up."

"I've got a way to wake sleeping beauty," Yoruichi said. "There's a hot spring. That'll give him a good wake up call."

Dante wide smile widened even more as he held Ichigo above his head. "Let's see." She quickly led him to a steaming hot spring that looked relaxing.

"Be sure to be careful," Lady asked. "It might freak him out if he wakes up drowning."

"I'll be sure to be careful," Dante said. He then tossed Ichigo into the hot springs with a hard, 'slap!' accompanying it. Ichigo's limb soon bursted to life as the flailed around erratically before his arms pushed him up.

"What the hell!" Ichigo screamed. "Where am I?"

"Nice to see you too kid," Dante said. "You passed out when you got your Bankai."

"I only remember getting pissed at Nero and….that's all." Ichigo rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry about earlier," Nero said again. "Needed to give you a little push...or something like that."

"I'm going to say it again, your an asshole." Ichigo got out of the hot springs, his clothes sopping wet. "Great, and now my only pair of clothes are wet! Screw it." He then moved behind a rock and everyone saw his clothes being tossed on the floor before he dashed back into the hot springs, not allowing anyone to see his privates.

"That's better." He said as he slouched back.

"That was quick," Yoruichi said as Ichigo relaxed. "You mind if we join in?" She had to keep her face as Ichigo didn't notice the drawing on his face.

"All right." He gave a weak shrug as he spaced out.

"You heard him, we've got the go-ahead," Yoruichi told everyone as they moved behind rocks soon stripped and entered the hot springs. All but Nemu, who stood silently and watched on. Everyone soon jumped into the hot springs, with Trish and Lady on Ichigo's sides, the triplets sitting next to each other, and Yoruichi sitting by herself.

"So what else are we doing?" Ichigo asked. "I managed to get Bankai. But I doubt that's all we have."

"Starting tomorrow, we shall start your training with using Hirenkyaku, Blut Vene, and Summoned Swords," Vergil said as his hair was forced down due to the water, looking exactly like his brothers. "But we lack several tools such as Seele Schneiders, Ginto, and a Quincy Cross for you to use as a focus. So we must postpone."

"What's up with you Nemu?" Dante asked. "You don't need to be shy. Come in and relax." She shifted slightly before undressing in front of everyone. Ichigo blocked his vision with his hand, the girls, Vergil, and Nero turned away to give her privacy. "Not bad," Dante said as he looked over Nemu's nude form.

"Silence," Vergil commanded as he slammed Yamato's sheath into his head, causing him to hold it in pain.

"The heck?!" Dante yelped as Yamato's sheath was placed next to Vergil's head.

"I'm sorry, there must have been a spider on your head," Vergil said with a smirk. "It jumped before I could kill it."

"Your just jealous that I got a babe and you didn't." Said babe was now sitting in the hot springs next to Yoruichi. Dante's cocky tone quickly changed as Vergil's hand reached for Yamato. "All right! I'll knock it off."

"Keep it together you two," Nero told his brothers. "I don't want a repeat of the last time you two fought. Took forever to fix that place."

They eventually fully relaxed and started to have small talk with one another. They eventually got out and dressed in their clothes.

"So where are we going to sleep?" Ichigo asked Yoruichi, who had a sheepish look and turned away. "Thanks, you crazy cat lady. I'm sure my back won't be full of creaks."

He eventually found a stone that looked like it wouldn't be painful to sleep on and laid against it and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he felt two weights on his chest. "Let me guess, Trish and Lady?"

"Aren't you a psychic." Trish's voice said, confirming his guess.

Ichigo opened his eyes to see that they both were laying on his chest. "You know, I might have to start charging you two if you keep using me as a pillow."

"Nah," Lady said as she slapped his chest. "You know that you won't do that. So shush and be a pillow."

"Fine. What's up with everyone else?" Ichigo's question was answered when Dante's pained filled yells were heard.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Dante pleaded as Yamato's sheath repeatedly smashed into his head.

"Then don't be perverted," Vergil responded as he continued to thwack Dante's head, imitating a watermelon being smashed. "Don't worry. This should help you."

"Sucks to be him," Lady said.

"Yup." Ichigo agreed. "Now about sleeping?"

"Fine," Trish said as she and Lady laid their heads on his chest and started to drift asleep. Ichigo followed suit and closed his eyes, feeling their weight on his chest, and soon fell into the abyss of sleep.

* * *

"So what's the plan today?" Ichigo asked Vergil, who was standing in front of them with Dante had his side, whose head was wrapped with bandages.

"As I stated last night, we will begin with Quincy techniques. First, we shall go over Summoned Swords." A Summoned Sword appeared in Vergil's grasp and he put his weight on it. "You must use your Devil Bringer as a focus to gather Reishi. Imagine your spectral arm and manipulate into swords."

"If I can create swords, then why don't I use them for close combat? Instead for ranged combat."

"There to fragile to be used for too many strikes." He slammed the ethereal blade against a rock and it shattered. "The durability is too limited for close combat but can be used as effective long ranged attacks. No, try to summon your own."

Ichigo nodded and summoned his spectral arm and started to change it. The spectral arm warped and changed, the digits straightened and broke away from the hand, which was disintegrating. They eventually formed into five swords that quickly moved behind his back and formed in a circle formation, floating behind him.

"That's interesting," Ichigo commented as he looked behind him and saw the swords spinning. "But why can't I just use my Devil Bringer to summon a bow?"

"Your Devil Bringer is one of your most useful tools, so if you use it to summon a bow, it'll rob you of its capabilities," Vergil explained with a tone of slight exasperation. "We'll begin in using Hirenkyaku. You gather Reishi on your feet and slide on it. You must make streams of Reishi to continue to use it."

Ichigo nodded as he attempted to gather Reishi underneath his feet. They glowed an intensive blue as he shimmered out of existence. He reappeared around two feet away from his original spot. "That seems sucky," Ichigo mentioned.

"You'll improve. Especially with the trial by fire, you'll be participating in." Vergil said as his own swords appeared by his side, 6 on each.

"Is that why Dante's here?" Ichigo thumbed him, who was currently pulling Kafka's bowstring. "You're going to shot at me like a duck?"

"Got it in one kid," Dante said as took aim at Ichigo. "Time to look like a pincushion." He let go of the bowstring and sent out several arrows at Ichigo.

They arrows were accompanied by Vergil's blade into battle as they tried to hit their mark. Ichigo responded by using Hirenkyaku and dodging all the arrows and most of the swords. He reappeared and found a Summoned Sword heading straight into his shoulder. He hissed as the sword shattered and he felt his wound knit itself together.

"You must focus Ichigo! Otherwise, you will not succeed in using these techniques. You must be able to strike me with your Summoned Swords." Vergil's words hit like Summoned Swords, which were currently hurling towards Ichigo.

'How do I use Blut Vene?' Ichigo asked himself as he dodged a handful of arrows courtesy of Kafka. 'I have to push my Reiatsu into my blood vessels!' As he realized that a blue pattern appeared on his skin as he decided to mount an offensive.

The swords behind him started to spin faster and faster. They eventually blurred into a buzzsaw-like figure as it went of Ichigo's head and launched itself towards Vergil.

"Clever." He muttered as the swords came closer towards him. He waited until the Summoned Swords were in arm's length before deflecting them with Yamato. His eyes widened slightly when Ichigo appeared in front of him with a Summoned Sword in a reverse grip and swung it upwards.

Vergil used Hirenkyaku and slide behind Ichigo and pushed him back, with Dante unleashing a wall of arrows from Kafka. They hit Ichigo, but the heads of them broke due to Blut Vene.

"Foolish Ichigo," Vergil said. "I specifically said not to use them for melee weapons. But you did not listen."

Ichigo smirked as he snapped his fingers. "The wonders of misdirection." He mentioned as Vergil felt something poking into his back. He turned his head to see a Summon Sword was poking his back.

"I suppose you have succeeded," Vergil said as Ichigo called off his sword. "I'm impressed."

"Good job kid. You managed to get a compliment out of Vergil!" Dante congratulated. "And I think I've got the hang of this bow." He started to pull back the string and aimed it above his head and let go.

The arrows came down and formed a rough circle shape around him. "Nice." He told himself as he stepped out of the circle and dismissed Kafka.

"If we're doing my Quincy training. Then what is everyone else doing?" Ichigo questioned. His question was answered by the sound of a rock being smashed and Lady and Trish running into Ichigo view. Nemu also came out with a blank face and her right arm spinning rapidly.

"Where are you going?" She asked as chased after Lady and Trish. "You did ask for my assistance in increasing your endurance."

"I didn't expect you to start trying to drill us!" Lady yelled. "How is that even possible?"

"I think this is actually pretty fun," Trish admitted as she dodged a strike from Nemu. "Got to keep up Lady!"

"That counts for two," Ichigo said. "I'm guessing Yoruichi and Nero are also training?"

"You are correct," Nemu spoke, continuing to chase after Lady and Trish. "Nero asked Yoruichi to help him with hand to hand combat."

"Why? I can handle myself in a fistfight good eno-Ah!" Ichigo was interrupted when Vergil slammed his open palm into his chest before tripping him to the ground.

"That reminds me. When this is over, you're going to start going to karate class again." Vergil told Ichigo.

"Do you see?" He asked as he pointed Yamato's blade to his throat. "You may be able to handle the trash you fight as a human, but those skills will be outclassed when faced with other, more tougher opponents."

"All right! I get it!" Ichigo relented as Vergil sheathed his sword and he helped him up. "What's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"Since we have gone over Quincy techniques we are able to achieve so far, I recommend you get use to your Bankai." Vergil submitted.

"Let do it." Ichigo upholstered Blue Rose and transformed it into Red Queen and soon tossed it into the air. "Ban-Kai!" His yell caused his sword to glow blue and turn into blue energy and gather around Ichigo like a typhoon.

A pair of red eyes eventually were shown within the storm as it dissipated, revealing Ichigo with his Bankai. "Dāku Supekutoru Senshi." He said as his spectral wings adjusted themselves. "What can I really do?"

"One way to find out," Dante spoke as he pulled out Rebellion and used Stinger and headed straight towards Ichigo. Ichigo was caught off guard and braced for being stabbed. He was surprised when one of his wings grabbed Rebellion and chucked Dante back.

"That's something you can do." Dante jabbed his sword into the ground and slowed himself. "What about the buzzsaws?" He pointed to the orbiting shurikens. "You move them with your mind or something?"

Ichigo's response was by extending his hand and sent one of his rapidly spinning shurikens towards Dante, who jumped over it. "Close shave." He commented as it came back to orbit around Ichigo.

"I can obviously fly. But I don't think I can do anything else." He called off his Bankai and Red Queen reappeared in his grasp.

"Will you stop trying to drill me?!" Lady yelled as she was drenched in sweat and barely outpacing Nemu.

"But this is what you requested, is it not?" She asked as she jabbed forward, only nearly missing Lady's head.

"I'm going to collapse soon!" She turned her head up to see Trish sitting on a rock, dangling her legs over it. "Mind helping me Trish?"

Trish hummed for a moment before answering. "Nah. You did want to have Nemu chase you around to make sure you can keep up."

"I hate it when your right!" She turned to Nemu. "Give me a break."

Nemu immediately stopped. "Very well. Inform me when you wish to continue." She then walked away to do something. Lady collapsed then and there, panting heavily. She looked up to see Ichigo looking at her with a smirk.

"You have fun playing tag?" He asked.

"Fuck you...asshole." She panted out as Ichigo offered a hand up, which Lady took and was up on her feet.

"Now don't be like that Lady. I could easily push you down again."

"Ah fine." Lady was set down on a rock by Ichigo. "So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"Probably plan and wait." Ichigo sat down next to her. "And after that...I don't know?" He admitted. "Probably return to normal life with you two."

"That's going to be weird for me and Trish. We've been on the move for years and to settle down finally...I'll have to adjust for a while." Lady laid against Ichigo for support.

"And I'm going to be covered with sweat." His comment caused her to elbow him slightly. "But I'll put up with it for you."

Trish looked down at them and had a smile. "They are oh so cute together." She commented. "But hope she remembers she has to share."

* * *

The day ended and the day of the execution soon arrived. Rukia was held in mid-air in front of the Sōkyoku, looking calm.

'I leave with no regrets. I thank you, Ichigo. I thank you for trying to rescue me.' She monologued to herself. 'Thank you and goodbye.'

The Sōkyoku was soon released and transformed into the **Kikōō (Blaze Fledgling King),** a giant phoenix. It soon came crashing forward and Rukia closed her eyes in acceptance. She felt the intense heat from the Kikōō but then felt the head retreat after hearing a metallic clash.

She opened her eyes and saw Ichigo above her and holding Rebellion in front of himself. "Hey, ya midget. I'm startin' to burn." He commented as he slammed Rebellion into the post and fanned himself. "I don't tan you know?"

"What are you doing here?!" She demanded. "You need to get out of here! You won't be able to handle all the Captains by yourself!"

"Who said I was alone? I've got a few friends." The Kikōō let out a screech and was coming in for another strike. "Look's like he wants seconds." He pulled back his right arm, the spectral arm forming above it and mimicking it.

The Captains below looked on, shock being clear on their faces. "The Ryoka can't possibly think he can take the Sōkyoku?!" Captain of the 2nd Division, Soifon asked out loud. "He must be insane!"

"Everyone here is such a downer," Dante spoke behind them. "It's like it's a funeral."

"It is an execution." Vergil pointed out, walking alongside Dante. "But you are correct. Perhaps we should lighten the ball a little."

"More Ryoka!?" The Head Captain, Yamato asked. "How dare you have the audacity to walk up to use?!" He slammed his cane onto the ground to accent his words.

"Sorry gramps, but this is just how we are." Dante shrugged. An emaciated Captain appeared with a large shield. "Nope!" Dante pulled out Ivory and shot the shield, destroying it.

"That was to help the kid!" The Captain explained. "Now he's going to be roasted alive!"

"Dante," Vergil muttered in annoyance as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You may have doomed us all."

"Whoops?" He sounded. "I'm sure the kid will be fine." He looked above and saw Ichigo within the Kikōō's inferno.

The Devil Bringer was extended and gripped Kikōō's head. Ichigo was shocked when his arm began to glow with the Kikōō doing the same. "Now that's surprising." He said as the Kikōō's flames retracted into the shrinking bird. It soon collapsed into Ichigo's open hand.

Ichigo had a raised eyebrow at what he now had in his hand. It was ash somehow clumped together in the shape of a decently large egg. "What the hell is this?" He asked no one in particular. The ash egg soon started to shift and soon fell apart to show a hawk sized bird with its wings furled. It soon unfurled them and showed it's crimson plume. It also had two trailing, golden tails behind it. Its talons and beak were tipped in white. Its eyes were a regular black.

"Uh, hey?" Ichigo greeted awkwardly. "You okay buddy?" The bird squawked and snapped at Ichigo. "Yesh! You a girl then?" The bird chirped and rubbed its face against Ichigo's own, sharing it's inviting warmth with him.

"You want to stick with me?" Ichigo asked, the bird bobbing its head in response. "Let's get going then Kikōō!" Kikōō screeched in response and leaped off his arm and soon disintegrated in white ash and soon attached itself to Ichigo's neck.

It singed his skin and he hissed with it searing his skin. Kikōō's ash eventually cooled to a black soot color that was in the shape of a symmetrical bird with its wing's fully open and two tails crossing over each other.

Ichigo felt Cerberus on his lower back quickly heat up. He pulled it out and saw the ice melting and the three segments started to connect with one another, creating a quarterstaff with flames spewing out of the top. "This is neat, don't you think Rukia?" He asked.

"How can you be so calm?!" She asked flabbergasted. "You need to flee now!"

"Oh yeah, I'm saving you." He slapped his head slightly before pulling out Revenant. "I've got to thank Dante for this." He then took aim at Rukia's restraints and shot them off and scooped her up before she fell.

"Now where is he?" He asked as he looked for someone down below.

"Who are we waiting for?" Rukia asked him before she felt herself being raised with his arm.

"There his is! About time you got here Nero!" Ichigo called down to a trotting Nero with Shinigami behind him

Nero shrugged at Ichigo. "Hold your horses Ichigo. I had to go through a few pieces of trash. Now toss the midget down."

"Hope your ready Rukia." Ichigo began to wind up to throw Rukia.

"What are you dooooing!" She was soon sent flying into Nero, who quickly grabbed her.

"You know where to go, so get going!" Nero's response was to turn on his heel and started to run away. "Now where to start?" Ichigo noticed a trio of Lieutenants chasing after Nero and Rukia. He jumped off the post and landing in front of them. "Sorry, VIPs only."

They Lieutenants unleashed their Shikai, transforming their weapons into a wrecking ball, a sword with two shorter blades at 45 degrees angles sticking out, and a rapier. Ichigo quickly dashed towards them and smashed through the fat one's wrecking ball and knocked him back. He soon slammed Cerberus, still, a fire-spewing staff, into the only female of the trio before firing Revenant underneath his right arm and knocking back the last one, partially destroying his Zanpakuto.

"What's next?" Ichigo gaze went over to see Vergil and Dante fighting side by side. "Might as well join them." He began walking towards them and heard a buzzing and saw that Cerberus was changing once more, sparking with purple lightning. "Is this your entire shtick? You transform? It's badass if it is." The weapon sadly didn't respond, but it did break into 3 parts again, but connected to each other with purple lightning.

Ichigo's ears perked when he heard rapid footsteps and slammed Cerberus' new form down, clashing with Byakuya's Senbonzakura, deflecting the blade. "Hey, asshat." Ichigo insulted. "You seem a bit slow. Or am I getting quicker?"

"Tell me, why do keep trying? Why do you try and save Rukia over and over?" Byakuya questioned.

"I've got a question for you. What kind of asshole brother tries to kill their own sister? I've got two of my own. And if anyone tried to harm them, I would kill them." Ichigo question was accompanied by Cerberus slamming into Byakuya, shocking him.

"I do this...for justice." Byakuya held his blade and stood tall. "I will defeat you and retrieve Rukia...and kill her."

"Gonna have to get past me." Ichigo put Cerberus and Revenant away: The former on his lower back and then later on his right thigh. He tugged off Yamato from his waist, prepared to cut dimensions themselves to defeat Byakuya.

They both prepared themselves to fight against one another. Both determined to prove themselves right.


	8. Reveals that Shake the Earth

Nero's feet hit heavily on the dirt as he ran towards a destination, all the while Rukia struggled. "Let go!" She struggled to remove herself from his grasp. "I need to help Ichigo!"

"Shut it midget!" Nero snapped. "Unless you can pull something out of your ass, your still powerless. Besides, he won't lose to Vergil's ripoff."

"Why are you so confident in him?" She asked. "He seems...different."

"You mean besides the new hair? Yea he is. He found his real Zanpakutos." He stopped when he found himself in the middle of the woods. "You guys around?!"

"Who are you-"

"About time Nero!" Lady spoke out as she laid on a tree branch. "We need to get that collar off the midget."

"I have a name! It's Rukia Kuchiki!" Rukia declaration made Nero snort. "Is there something wrong with my name?"

"I find it funny you still consider yourself family to the asshole who didn't try to help you at all." He set her down as Lady and Trish appeared from the treeline.

She was about to object, but Lady called out another name. "Nemu! Your up!"

"Very well Miss Lady," Nemu called out as she slowly joined everyone else. "Are you sure I am capable of removing her collar?"

"I'm sure you'll be fine Roboto," Trish mentioned. "Now put your back into it."

"Lieutenant Nemu?!" Nemu swarmed over Rukia and mechanically grabbed her neck and began to tinker with the collar on her neck. "What are you doing here?"

"Be silent." She ordered as she continued to manipulate the collar. "I am removing this collar to free you. It has a tracking device within it."

Rukia had several questions swimming in her head but remained silent in fear of being overwhelmed and let Nemu work on her collar.

* * *

Dante and Vergil were in a three-way stare down between Yamamoto, the old, but terrifying Head Captain of the Gotei 13, and the Captains of Divisions 8 and 13, Shunsui and Jūshirō respectively. Yamamoto slammed his cane down in anger.

"How dare you invade and prevent the execution of Rukia Kuchiki!" His face, flaming with rage as he turned to Jūshirō and Shunsui. "And how dare you two, Shunsui and Jūshirō, betray your master!"

Jūshirō and Shunsui soon disappeared with Shunpo, with Shunsui's lieutenant, Nanao Ise following. "Now where do they think they're going?" Dante said as he focused on their Reiatsu and used Sonido to go to them, with Vergil following suit, leaving a fuming Yamamoto.

They appeared side by side in front of Shunsui and Jūshirō, with Nanao noticing them. "Intruders." She snarled as she attempted to move to fight Dante and Vergil, but was stopped by her captain.

"Calm it down little Nanao." He said as he looked at them with a smile. "I say we may need their help if we want to fight old man Yama."

"And what makes you think that we're here to help you? We might want to take you out." His possible threat Jūshirō to reach for his sword. "Ah, we ain't taking you out yet."

"Why not help us against Master Yamamoto? It would prove more useful for us to unite against him."

"We do not wish to ally ourselves with the likes of yourself. That is simply that." Vergil answered as Yamamoto appeared, hunched over on his cane.

"Chasing after children...It has been many years since anyone could escape me." He soon stood tall and slowly walked towards them. "I shall take you all out for going against the Gotei 13!"

"Sorry, gramps," Dante smirked as he pulled out Rebellion, resting it heavily against his shoulder. "I don't think a cooky old man is doing much against us." Yamamoto's eyes widened slightly at his response.

"You Ryoka think so highly of yourselves to think you can take out the Head-Captain?" His skin soon danced with a flame aura as a monstrous pressure pressed against them. Nanao fell to her knees and started to foam at the mouth before Shunsui took her away and reappeared seconds after.

"Now that the kids are gone, can the adults have some fun?" Dante's taunt caused Yamamoto to raise his cane and turn it on its side, causing the wood to unravel into oblivion, revealing Ryūjin Jakka.

"It seems that children need punishment." His sword was stabbed into the ground as his haori was thrown off. With a flame enveloping him, Yamamoto stripped his upper body to show a muscular form with a myriad of scars running all around it. "If so, I shall deliver it to them!" His sword soon found itself back into his grasp before saying it's release command, "Reduce All Creation To Ash!"

His declaration was followed by the surrounding area being engulfed in an inferno out of hell itself. "Looks like gramps pipe has gotten an upgrade eh?" He turned to Vergil with a smirk. "How about we have some fun?"

"Please anything against me you would fail," Vergil said as he thumbed Yamato from its sheath. "But I'll humor you." The soon took off in opposite directions Vergil taking on Yamamoto and Dante taking on Jūshirō and Shunsui.

Dante unleashed a Stinger, pulling closer to Shunsui, who's swords clashed with Rebellion. "Not even letting us use Shikai? A bit rude of you ain't?"

"Who cares? I fight to win. If I get dirty, I get dirty." Dante pulled out Ebony and spun it, blocking Jūshirō's strike. "And you say I'm fighting dirty?" He pulled the trigger and a Bala was fired towards Jūshirō, who dodged it.

Whilst he was dodging, Shunsui pushed through Dante's defense and slashed his chest. Dante grunted as he jumped back and saw a deep cut on his chest. "You had to damage the threads? Come on man!" His complaints were interrupted as Jūshirō and Shunsui used Shikai, both now wielding two swords.

"Great." Dante's cut started to mend itself. "Guess I have to level the playing field."

"And how are you going to do that? You got a secret Zanpakuto or something?" Shunsui's question caused Dante to smile widely.

"Please surrender. We can ally against Master Yamamoto!" Jūshirō requested. Dante response was to hover his hand above his face.

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeves." Red sparks appeared across his face, forming a white mask with two down-facing ram horns, with a red jewel placed in the center of the forehead. It's "face", was a menacing skull with two stripes on each side of it. "Hate using this thing." Dante's voice began to distort as his eyes turned black with yellow irises.

"A Hollow mask?!" Jūshirō asked shocked. "What are you?!"

"Hmmm…" Dante's voice sounded before disappearing using Sonido, quicker than ever before. He then reappeared in front of them with Kafka fluttering quickly. "Don't know." The string was released, unleashing a volley of arrows, hitting them straight on.

Yamamoto looked on as Shunsui and Jūshirō were struck by Kafka's arrows. "Don't be distracted," Vergil spoke as he swung Yamato, causing Yamamoto to swing his own, causing a clash of steel and flame.

"I see that you still have strength," Yamamoto noted Vergil having burn marks across his body and wounds across him. "But what is the power of your ally?"

"That is none of your concern." Vergil disappeared using Hirenkyaku, appearing behind, but was blocked by Yamamoto. He repeatedly did this again and again, but couldn't land a decisive blow on him.

Vergil suddenly appeared in front of Yamamoto with Yamato sheathed. "Have you given up?" Vergil raised his palm high before it motioned down. Yamamoto looked up to see an incoming storm of spectral swords.

* * *

Ichigo and Byakuya clashed with each of their swords. Byakuya used Shunpo to disappear from Ichigo's view, but his blade was intercepted with Rebellion. "Looks like your slowing down Byakuya. Seems like your going to need your Shikai." Ichigo taunted.

"Don't delude yourself," Byakuya said. "You may have some meager power, but that is irrelevant." He held his blade, his hand hovering over it. "But if it death that you wish for, I shall oblige. Scatter, Senbonzakura."His blade split into fragments that reflected a pink color. It's hilt soon pointed towards Ichigo and swarmed like hornets towards him

Ichigo dodged the swarm with Sonido, leaving a sonic boom. Byakuya was surprised by the use of a Hollow technique but had to disregard his thoughts as Ichigo appeared just within his field of vision, Blue Rose already aimed at his head. Senbonzakura moved to intercept the dual shot.

"How are you using a Hollow technique?!" Byakuya demanded. "Are you one yourself?!"

Ichigo's respond was accompanied by a shrug. "Can't really say. My genetics are one hell of a cocktail. Bet it tastes good." Ichigo still held Rebellion in his right hand and used Stinger to drag him closer to Byakuya, who dodged using Shunpo.

When he reappeared, Rebellion was already glowing with red energy. "Drive!" Ichigo's declaration was followed with the energy being unleashed as an arc.

"Hadō #4. Byakurai." Byakuya pointed his index finger out and let out a pale lightning bolt that clashed with the Drive. Ichigo's attack was the one to succeed in the clash and head towards Byakuya, though weaker.

He was unprepared for the attack and was struck by it, resulting in a long wound on his chest. "A Cero being launched from your sword. How interesting."

"Aren't I blushing," Ichigo commented. "You can't beat me with your Shikai, so you might want to bust out your Bankai."

"Hrrh, if you desire your death, so be it." Byakuya's sword reformed and the blade was pointed down towards the ground. He let go of Senbonzakura and when it hit the ground, it passed through like it was water. The area surrounding him was enveloped in darkness as two rows with hundreds of colossal swords appeared. "Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The darkness disappeared and the blades broke into uncountable amounts of blade fragments.

They became a wave and came crashing towards Ichigo. He dodged the onslaught and disappeared using Hirenkyaku. When he reappeared above Byakuya, Ebony and Ivory were now wielded and fired out Balas at a breakneck pace. He disappeared after firing a burst, doing it over and over again, firing numerous amount of Balas.

Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's blades moved to defend Byakuya, eliminating damage the Balas could have done. "It seems like your abilities have little effect on me," Byakuya spoke as Ichigo stopped in front of him. "Do not be disappointed, Ryoka. Your abilities are impressive, but you have no chance of defeating my Bankai."

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." He holstered Ebony and Ivory before twirling out Blue Rose, namelessly turning it into Red Queen. "The best chance to beat a Bankai...is a Bankai."

"You act as if you yourself have obtained Bankai."

"Time to put on a show then!" He soon tossed Red Queen into the air, blue particles emanating from it. "Bankai!" Red Queen exploded into blue particles with a roar, causing a cyclone of the same color to cover the area around him. Red eyes peered from the storm. It dispersed, showing Ichigo with his own Bankai. "Dāku Supekutoru Senshi." His voice warped with each word.

"That is your Bankai?" Byakuya questioned. "You have no Zanpakuto to even wield, so what can you fight with?"

"Heh, like this!" Ichigo's wings unfurled and jetted him towards Byakuya. The waves of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi moved towards him, but a spectral arm smashed through the wave and Ichigo soon grabbed Byakuya with his right hand. He smashed Byakuya down and ripped the landscape, causing numerous wounds to him.

Byakuya tossed him and sent him tumbling into the ground. He slowly got up, blood covering his form. "It seems that you are quite powerful. But it shall not be enough against mine." He soon covered the area surrounding Ichigo and himself in a black void.

The blade fragments formed rows of pink glowing swords. "Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. Do not worry. These swords will not attack you. They serve one purpose; to kill my opponent." A sword formed in his hand, resembling his sealed Zanpakuto.

"I can't form as many swords as you," Ichigo said as 12 summon swords, six on each side, appeared next to him. "But I'll give you a run for your money!" Ichigo charged quickly towards Byakuya, who matched him.

When Senbonzakura Kageyoshi and Yamato clashed, Rebellion followed it's brother with a downward strike, overpowering Byakuya, who disappeared and reappeared behind Ichigo, already pulling his blade down to kill him. The orbiting shurikens buzzed and struck against his sword, eventually causing it to explode in pink fragments. Byakuya retreated as another sword appeared.

The summoned swords Ichigo had been keeping disappeared before reappearing, circling Byakuya in two rows. They soon stabbed through him all at once. He breathed heavily as Ichigo gave a cocky smirk. "I thought that you would whop my ass?" He rested Rebellion on his shoulder. "Any more tricks up your sleeve or you gonna give?"

"Do not...think that you are victorious yet." Byakuya's breath ragged out the words as he stood on shaky legs. The surrounding blades disappeared as his Reiatsu glowed white in the form of a pillar. Pure white wings soon form from the pillar along with a white halo attached to his back. "Shūkei: Hakuteiken."

"Are you supposed to be an angel? How ironic."

"How is this ironic? With this form, I shall enact justice upon you and Rukia!" Ichigo snorted at his claim.

"And killing your sister is justice? Sounds a bit shit to me." He began walking towards Byakuya, Yamato and Rebellion glowing with blue and red energy respectively. "But let's finish this."

"It seems you manage to speak some sense." His soon matched Ichigo walk, which was now more of a dash. Ichigo's swords were now storming with energy. The energy that was soon unleashed as they clashed with Byakuya.

They soon were consumed with Reiatsu, Byakuya with white, and Ichigo with red and blue. They struggle continued as the area erupted in their energy, engulfing them both.

* * *

Vergil breathed heavily as he supported his weight on Yamato. His attack on Yamamoto did nothing, the summoned swords shattered the moment they hit his skin and he was slammed by Ryūjin Jakka.

"I must admit that your attacks were impressive," Yamamoto said as he stared down at the weakened Vergil. "The use of Quincy techniques is surprising, but I am afraid that your life will end here."

Ryūjin Jakka, the blade being coated in flames, came down to strike Vergil. But the blade was not met with flesh, but with steel. "Yesh Vergil. I thought you could take gramps. But I guess I have to save your ass." Dante spoke as he pushed away Yamamoto's sword. He no longer had his Hollow mask.

Defeating Shunsui and Jūshirō was rather easy with the addition of the mask. Despite the fact that they were Captains, they were also holding back most of their strength. Dante wasn't however, and completely thrashed them and knocked them out.

"Be silent," Vergil said as he got back up. "I will be...fine."

"Like hell, you will." Dante stood by his side. "Just pull the summoned stick out of your ass and let me help. Otherwise, neither of us will be walking out of here."

"...Very well." Vergil relented as he stood more steadily. "Just don't slow me down."

"You believe that both of you stand a chance against me?" Yamamoto questioned. "Two children will not-"

"Enough talk," Vergil said coldly. "We do not wish to hear any more of your monologue." Without another word, he and Dante split apart, circling to Yamamoto's sides. Dante unleashed a stinger, which nearly hit Yamamoto, but was sidestepped and Rebellion was hit into the ground.

Yamamoto's fists were clenched together and almost smashed into Dante's head, but Vergil's timing with Yamato's sheath deflected it. He jumped off Rebellion grip, sending it into Dante's grip, and began precisely cut Yamamoto.

Yamamoto grunted and swung Ryūjin Jakka towards Vergil, clashing with Yamato and sending him back to the ground. He skittered to a stop as Dante appeared by his side. "Got any ideas?" Dante asked.

"No, unfortunately," Vergil admitted.

"Lucky for us, I do." He pulled out Ebony and Ivory, intent on shooting Yamamoto, but a fireball from said person knocked Ebony out of his hand. but Vergil quickly caught it.

"I suppose I'll go with your way for once." Vergil had a light smile as he said that.

"Alright then!" They quickly went back to back, crossing their pistols. "Remember the magical word?"

"Jackpot." They said simultaneously as the triggers were pulled resulting in two energy shots, one blue and one red, spiraling around one another and hit Yamamoto, resulting in a small mark on his chest.

"Quite a powerful technique you two have, but it will not give you any advantage." Yamamoto began walking towards them. "It is time for you-" His declaration was interrupted by a voice coming from nowhere.

"This is Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu of Division 4. This is an emergency message from Captain Unohana and is for everyone, even the Ryoka. This message is regarding the traitor among our midst. As grim as it is..." The message soon revealed that Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tōsen, and Sōsuke Aizen were the traitors. It also revealed that Aizen had been puppeting Central 46 and had slated Rukia for execution.

Dante whistled at the reveal. "Damn, heavy stuff." He commented and looked at Yamamoto. "Don't suppose that we need to fight anymore do we?"

"Hmm...I suppose not." Yamamoto agreed as he sealed Ryūjin Jakka, causing all the flames to disappear. "There are more pressing matters than disciplining children."

"Sorry about your students," Dante said. "Tough bastards if they didn't hold back."

"I taught them well. But I must go deal with the traitors!" He soon disappeared, leaving Vergil and Dante alone.

"You going to be alright?" Dante asked as he was tossed back Ebony, which was holstered with its counterpart.

"I shall be fine," Vergil answered. "I just need more...power."

"Nope! We're not going through the power-hungry asshole phase. We're better than Him!" Dante's object causes him to think. "You don't need more power, you need access to your own power."

"I suppose...you are right." Dante had a smirk at Vergil's admittance. "But we must discuss this another day. For now, we must go to Nero,"

"Whatever Vergil." They soon took off using their respective techniques.

* * *

Ichigo panted, his voice echoing with itself as he did so. His body was healing itself slowly, but surely. Whatever scraps of his clothes on his upper body were gone, besides Ebony and Ivory's holsters. He could see Byakuya, bloodied and with his hair freed from their constraints, standing across from him. "How's that asshole?" He insulted while pushing himself up with Yamato.

Byakuya remained silent before a large gash appeared across his chest. "It seems that I have lost." His voice was pained and strained.

"Damn right you have. Now sit your ass down."

"Do you know why I chose not to save Rukia? It is because of justice."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his declaration. "That's bullshit. Justice is what you think for yourself. Not something people tell you. Do you want justice? Do it yourself."

"What an interesting philosophy." Byakuya turned to face Ichigo. "I wonder what will happen now." He soon disappeared, leaving Ichigo alone.

Ichigo collapsed, drained from fighting Byakuya and using his Bankai for so long. Said Bankai then dispersed. 'Guess I can't use it for too long.' He mused. His body felt pretty stressed when he was using it. 'Whenever I used it against Nero, I passed out. When I used it against Dante, it was more figuring it out. This was the first time I was pushed.'

"Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime called out as she, Chad, Uryu, and Ganju walked up. When she attempted to get closer, Kikōō appeared in a burst of flames and landed on Ichigo's head and snapped at Orihime. "Ah!"

"Calm it down Kikōō," Ichigo grunted. "They're friends." Kikōō chirped before getting fluttering onto the ground.

"What is that Ichigo?" Chad asked pointing towards Kikōō, who snapped at him.

"It's my new pet." Kikōō rubbed its head against Ichigo's.

"Are you alright Kurosaki-Kun?" Orihime asked. "Do you need healing?"

"Nah, I'm tired." He grunted and got up, though was haggard. "Damn my Bankai is tiring."

"It seems that you won against Byakuya," Uryu said.

"No! I lost." He snarked off. "What the hell do you think I did! God, where are Lady and Trish?! Nero should have brought Rukia to them."

"Attention all..." They all heard the emergency message from Isane about the traitors.

"That isn't good," Ichigo said out loud before he sensed an ocean of Reiatsu appear where Lady and Trish were camping out. "That especially not good!" He attempted to start moving high speed, but his body felt like stone. "Guess I can't use Hirenkyaku or Sonido."

Uryu's eyes were widened at the mentioned of the Quincy technique but were silenced by Kikōō screeching before taking off and erupting in flames. When they died off, she was larger, enough to carry a few people.

"So that's your idea? I like it." Ichigo got up and jumped onto Kikōō's back. She soon flared her wings and took off towards the source of the Reiatsu.

* * *

"How much longer till that damn collar is off?" Nero complained as he stood to watch as Nemu continued to work on Rukia's collar. They soon heard Isane's message.

"Captain Aizen? He's a traitor!?" Rukia yelled under Nemu.

"Please remain still Rukia," Nemu asked. "I am nearly finished."

"I'm a traitor?" A voice asked, making everyone turn to see the men of the hour, Aizen, Tōsen, and Gin. "That quite an audacious claim."

"Keep your distance asshole!" Nero said as he pulled out Blue Rose, aiming it directly at Aizen. "Or you're going to need another pair of glasses."

"I would have hoped that Renji would escape and be the one to help you, but it makes no difference." He started to walk forward, but Nero's shot made him stop.

"Well aren't you kids just crazy." Gin had a sly smirk as he spoke. "But we're going to need little Rukia to come with us."

"Nah," Trish said as she stood by Nero. "The midget is kinda important to Ichigo."

"And here I wanted things to end well." Gin pulled out Shinsō. "Shoot to kill, Shinsō." His sword swiftly extended towards them. Trish jumped and kicked straight down, knocking Shinsō into the ground.

"Gin," Aizen spoke. "I would say that wasn't needed, but they may be somewhat of a hassle."

"Why thanks, Captain." Shinsō detracted back into its normal length. "But I wouldn't want to ruin your fun."

"Why thank you Gin." Aizen turned his attention to everyone else. "Please surrender Rukia to us. I would rather not fight over this."

"Sorry asshole," Nero said before pulling out Red Queen. "But I'm itching for a fight!" He soon dashed towards Aizen, his sword roaring as he did so. But before Red Queen could spill blood, Tōsen stepped in, blocking it with an unsheathed Suzumushi

"I will not allow you to kill Aizen." He spoke as Nero's spectral arm nearly grabbed him, only missing due to his quick reaction speed. "I see that you stand in the way of justice. I will strike you down and make your body a stepping stone for justice."

"Tch, I'd like to see that." Nero soon attempted to swat at Tōsen but failed as he uses Shunpo to use distance. "Trying to run? Nice try!" He soon followed him, leaving a man down on each side.

"So who do I get to fight? Is it the pretty blonde?" Gin asked.

"Thanks for the compliment, but your not my type." Trish soon pulled Force Edge off her back before dashing towards Gin, lightning arching off her and the sword. Gin held Shinsō in a reverse grip, blocking Trish's heavy broadsword. He jumped back just like Tōsen, mostly to use Shinsō's full capabilities.

Trish followed him, set on not giving him any room to use his weapon. With them leaving, Lady was the only one to face Aizen. She kept silent as she moved in front of Rukia and Nemu, holding Kalina Ann.

"Is this all that stands before me? An ant?" Aizen slowly stepped forward. "I'll have to be careful. Otherwise, you'll be crushed."

"I'll go with you Aizen, just leave her alone!" Rukia called out.

"Shut it!" Lady yelled back before turning back to a still encroaching Aizen. "Be careful of this!" She unleashed a rocket from her weapon. It screeched as it barreled towards him. Aizen's lip's twitched slightly at the miserable attempt at harming a God. He batted the rocket away with a mere flick of his wrist, it exploding in the background.

"Is that a human weapon?" He asked. "How pitiful." Lady was shaking slightly, despite her attempts at not doing so.

'Am I this useless?' She asked herself. 'Am I going to be the useless damsel in distress?'

"Don't despair. You'll life will be at its end soon enough." Lady felt indeed that. Despair. Her grip on Kalina Ann loosened as her will wavered.

'I'm just like the doe. Scared and Useless.' Kalina Ann slid further from her grasp.

"Don't worry Mary. You'll be reunited with your father soon enough." Lady's eyes widened at that mention of her actual name and of Arkham.

"How do you know that!?" She yelled, causing Aizen's pace to halt.

"It's rather simple, dear girl." Aizen's face contorted into a cruel smile. "Who do you think introduced him to Hollows? Oh, Hyne. Wanted the ability to protect his family after his wife was already attacked by a Hollow. Unfortunately the Hollow he "Summoned" was one of my creations. He must have screamed as it took over his body and forced him to kill his wife. And the experiment had such great information for my next one."

Lady's despair turned to anger as her grip turned on Kalina Ann tightened to a vice-grip. "You bastard." Her voice was low as flickers of green light appeared around her and Kalina Ann. "Your the reason my family is dead?"

Aizen was slightly interested in what was happening to her but decided it was of no importance. "Did you not hear me before. I am the one who introduced Hyne to Hollows, so yes I am." While he was talking, the light seemed to intensify around Lady.

Her anger boiled over as she narrowed her eyes and the lights fully intensified around Kalina Ann's barrel. "Then I'm sending you straight to hell!" The barrel rattled as a blinding beam shot out of it, slamming straight into Aizen.

When it stopped, Lady dropped, heavily drained from the attack. Aizen was merely holding his palm open in front of him, slightly hissing from the attack, all the while his face has not changed. "What an interesting attack, but it seems that is your only ace. It's is now time for your reckoning."

'Move!' Lady screamed, but her body didn't respond, instead of slumping further down. He crept closer until they heard a screech from above. When Aizen looked up, he saw a large orange bird high above and a speck that was rapidly increasing in size. It eventually grew large enough to make out a head of snow-white hair.

Aizen remained still as the speck grew closer to see it was Ichigo, feet firmly aimed at his head. The wind howling as he gained more momentum, his feet crushed into what he assumed was Aizen's skull. He looked down to he was standing on a translucent barrier, with Aizen's hand raised up.

"That was rather close. I didn't expect you to enter into the battle in such a manner." Aizen spoke as Ichigo kicked off the barrier and landed next to a still slumped Lady.

"You alright Lady?" Ichigo asked her, earning a weak nod. "Just get some rest and let me handle this asshole." He began walking towards Aizen, a smirk forming on his face. "So you're the asshole who hit the hornet's nest?"

"I suppose I am. But why are you so intent on attacking me? I have never harmed you in any manner. If anything, it would be more beneficial to ally with one another"

"No thanks asshole." Without another word, Rebellion was drawn and dragged Ichigo closer to Aizen, who remained passive as he did so. 'This guy is a dumbass.' His blade soon clashed with the defense of Aizen. A single finger. A single finger raised and calmly holding back Rebellion. Ichigo felt like he was slashed with a million blades. Like a puppet without strings, he collapsed in a heap.

Aizen's walk was uninterrupted as Lady and Ichigo were down. "Please stand back Lieutenant Nemu." She attempted to stand against him, but he simply grabbed her arm and tossed her a ragdoll. A struggling Rukia was held by her collar.

He began rambling on about how the Sōkyoku was supposed to burn Rukia's soul in order to get something called the Hōgyoku buried within it. He also revealed that Kisuke was it's creator and had shoved it into Rukia. Ichigo had little trouble listening to it due to feeling his spinal cord being cut. It was healing but was dipping into his already low reserves. Though he was pissed at Kisuke and Aizen. 'I'm going to shove Cerberus up his ass. On fire!'

Aizen soon pulled out a small capsule and activated it, causing several thorns to protrude from the ground, the tops sparking with purplish lightning. His arm gained a similar look: thorny and rough. That arm was plunged into Rukia and removed, showing a small glass with an orb within his grasp. The hole that was formed in her chest closed and looked like nothing ever happened.

"So small. I was expecting it to be larger. The Hōgyoku" Aizen mused as he held Rukia in midair. "Now that your purpose it up, I have no use for use." His sword was drawn from its sheath and cleanly placed on Rukia's neck. Its blade was nearly stained red, but a figure moved quickly and grabbed Rukia, taking the slash that was meant for her.

The figure stopped a ways away, showing a ragged Byakuya with a cut across his chest, and a surprised Rukia in his grasp. "Brother," Rukia said quietly.

"What a surprising twist," Aizen commented as he pointed his sword at them, the intent of killing them. When he disappeared and reappeared right in front of them, Aizen's sword was blocked with a heavy broadsword, wielded by Dante.

"Aizen," Dante growled under his breath. "Now why are you trying to pick on the midget. Kinda rude of ya, don't you think?"

"Oh, who are you? A friend of Kurosaki? How interesting." Aizen attempted to move back but felt a sharp blade across the back of his neck. "It seems that I am in checkmate."

"You are correct, Sōsuke Aizen," Vergil informed as he pressed Yamato down, drawing a small amount of blood. "As much as I would enjoy finishing you, it is not our wraith that you must face, but that of the ones you betrayed."

"In short, don't move an inch." Several of the Captains, including Yamamoto, and Lieutenants appeared around them. "And speak of the devil. Despite them not actually being devils."

"Sōsuke Aizen!" Yamamoto yelled as he slammed his cane down. "For betraying the Gotei 13, you shall be detained, where your fate shall be decided!"

"Alright gramps, the asshole is yours." Dante must have screwed with Lady Luck somehow as the sky ripped open with several black voids, Hollows spewing through. A box made of yellow light appeared around Aizen, forcing Dante and Vergil to move.

"It seems that I will still survive, Head-Captain." Aizen's voice dripped with smugness. "And I won't be the only one." Accompanying his yellow box, was two others, holding Tōsen and Gin. Where they originally stood were slightly weakened, Nero and Trish.

"Damn!" Nero swore as he stared at the retreating Tōsen. "I thought I was going to the pavement? Guess your all talk."

"Bye Rangiku clone!" Gin gave a wave to Trish, whose sword had transformed. Gone was the traditional broadsword. Instead of having a gore-covered sword with a red gem in the middle of it and a single, large curved blade. "You truly look and act like her to!"

Trish was about to grab her sword but was stopped by Yamamoto. "Halt! It is useless to attack them. The moment the Negación came down, they belonged to Hueco Mundo."

"Let's try to attack anyways," Ichigo grunted, his wounds finally healed enough. "Vergil. Think you can get an opening. I want to give him a memento."

Vergil gave a nod before bending his knees slightly and rapidly unsheathing and sheathing his Yamato. At the same time, Ichigo pulled out his own Yamato from its sheath and pulled his arm back. The area around Aizen was enveloped in a bubble as the Negación was interrupted for a few brief moments.

Ichigo's arm swung with great might, with the payoff being Yamato sending a wave of blue energy towards Aizen. It hit his face and had a small explosion. When the explosion died down, Aizen was now sporting one eye, with his left having being destroyed.

"Ah!" He clutched his face as the Negación stabilized and carried him towards Hueco Mundo. "I shall get you Kurosaki!" That was the last words spoken by him as he went to Hueco Mundo.

"How's that for a payback," Ichigo said to a now absent Aizen. He stumbled to Lady. "How are you holding up Lady?"

"...Better." She drawled after a short breath. "Still a bit tired from...Whatever the hell I did."

"Nice to see you guys aren't dead," Trish spoke up. "And even having a moment without me? How rude!?

"I'm oh so sorry Trish," Lady said sarcastically. "Are you fine?"

"I could use a kiss to make myself feel better. The creepy captain hurt my feelings." She moved closer to them. "Think you could make me feel better Ichigo?"

"Kiss, kiss, kiss." Dante chanted, earning a slap on the head, courtesy of Vergil.

"I'm going to pass out," Ichigo said. "Right...about...now." He soon collapsed right onto Lady's thigh.

"How do I respond?" Lady asked. "It's not like I can move to much."

"Guess it's time for you to return the favor for him being the pillow," Trish commented. "But you're not going to complain. Are you?"

"Shut it, Trish." She ordered as she felt Ichigo's hair plaster itself across her leg. "If you're going to complain, just use him as a pillow."

"Maybe I will." She soon tossed herself onto Ichigo, laying on arm. "Nice and comfy."

"Not to intrude." A calm voice called out, belonging to Retsu Unohana. They turned to see her calm face and her front braided hair. "But we must heal those that are injured, so you may need to move."

"Fine," Trish said with a frown as she stood up and heaved Lady and Ichigo over her head, causing Lady to blush in embarrassment. Dante snickered at the spectacle. "Where can I drop these guys off?"

"I would not mind if you were to rest at the 4th Division's barracks. I will soon depart there to admit those that were injured."

"Hmm...Alright, Doc." Trish agreed. "Just tell us when we're entering the ambulance."

Unohana gave a light laugh at Trish. "It shall happen soon. Just wait." She soon turned to gather those who were injured.

"You mind putting me down?" Lady asked. "It's a bit uncomfortable being held by you and having Ichigo crushing me."

"Nah. You two look so adorable like this!" Trish's teasing caused Lady to huff. "Oh don't be like that."

"This is a real nice show, but we're going to be hitting the hay," Dante spoke up. "More specifically, we're hitting the hay in Ichigo's soul. Toodles." He and his brothers glowed a bright blue and turned into blue particles and rushed Ichigo, being absorbed by him.

"Now we wait," Trish said, waiting for Unohana to be ready.

* * *

Ichigo felt himself floating in a black void. "Ichigo." A voice called out, the man's calm voice echoing. "Find me..."

'Who the hell is that?' Ichigo found himself confused. 'He sounds...familiar ' The darkness in the void was soon filled with light, rapidly blinding Ichigo. He felt his own weight hit him as he awoke. His vision focused on his room, which was a hospital.

'Where am I?' He pushed his upper body up and looked around, seeing his bundle of mass destruction sitting on a chair, covered with a jacket. 'Don't see Trish or Lady. Or Vergil, Dante, and Nero. So where did they go?'

He got out of the bed he was on and noticed he didn't have anything on the upper body. "Great. Now I need to replace my jacket. I actually like that one. Guess I could take this one."

He swiped the jacket from the mass of weapons and noticed it was a replica of Nero's. It also had a note saying, "Replacement jacket for you until we get your own badass one. Dante." There was a scribbling of Dante on the bottom. He put it on and looked at his weapons. "I need to do something about this stuff."

"Dante did something with his bow. I wonder..." He grabbed Revenant and held it over his Devil Bringer, causing it to be absorbed into it with a blue particle effect. "Neat." He repeated the process with most of his weapons, the only exception being Blue Rose. "Need to keep some sort of protection."

Ichigo jumped slightly when the door rattled open, showing Lady and Trish. "Hey, sleepy head." Trish greeted. "About time you woke up. Thought we would be in Sleeping Beauty situation."

"How long have I been out? And where are we?"

"You've been out for about a day and your in the 4th Division's barracks. The Captain let us crash here." Lady answered. "Your spirits showed up and left. God knows where they are."

"I need to go find Rukia. She's the entire reason why we came here." Ichigo moved past them and stood in the hallway. "Any idea where she is?"

"Don't know where the midget is," Lady said with a shrug. "Do know where her dickhead brother is. Might know."

"Let's find Byakuya then." They quickly moved down the hallway, with Lady leading them. The door they stopped in front of was closed. Ichigo soon opened it, showing a recovering Byakuya and Renji, who had his head and abdomen covered in bandages.

He turned his head to see Ichigo. "You." He growled out as his hand reached for Zabimaru. "Why are you here?"

"It's not to beat your ass again, but if you're tempting me, I'll bite." Ichigo turned his head to an annoyed Byakuya. "Any idea where your sister is?"

"I do not have any knowledge of her whereabouts." He admitted. "I would prefer if you don't barge into my room."

"Why do want to know where Rukia is?" Renji demanded.

"A bit of a whiner, aren't you? If neither of you know where she is, we'll be moving on." He started to move towards the window, but Zabimaru's blade in front of him prevented him from moving.

"You aren't leaving until you answer my question." Ichigo gave him a bored look as he sighed.

"I'm looking for Rukia. Can't pick that up, can you?" He moved past Renji's blade and quickly ran through the open window.

"Break a leg Lady!" Trish elbowed her as she mimicked Ichigo's actions.

"They're crazy," Lady uttered under her breath. "But I'm not being outdone." She followed suit and ran out the window, and when she was near the ground, Ichigo grabbed her from the hair. "My hero."

"Think your running out of sarcastic comments, Lady?" Ichigo said while he set her down. "Think I know where Rukia is."

"And where would she be?"

"Remember the psycho who shot us out of a cannon?" Lady nodded, remembering Kukaku. "She's probably at her house."

"Why would she be there?" She quickly remembered Ganju yelling about her killing his brother. "Never mind. I've got a decent idea on why she's there."

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime called out, earning annoyed sigh from Lady. "Do you know where Rukia is? Uryu made her a new dress as a way to proclaim his feelings for her!"

"What is the doe yapping about? I swear she's got a few screws loose." Ichigo swatted her lightly to discourage her comments.

"I know where Rukia is. She's at the Shiba household." Ichigo started walking in a seemingly random direction. "You know where that is, so you know where she is. Follow me if you want to."

"Okay, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime's chipper tone gave Lady a headache.

'How is she so happy!?' She vented to herself as she followed Ichigo towards the Shiba household. She felt a hand tap on her shoulder. Her head turned to see Trish having a raised eyebrow.

"You look like your about to burst? What's up?" Her voice was quiet, not drawing the attention of Ichigo or Orihime.

"It's the doe. Her innocent act is pissin me off!? Her whisper ended with a slight hiss. "She doesn't realize that we were pretty much in a war. And she acts like this is a game."

"Just ignore her. I can't give any more advice since the clash comes from your personality. And I particularity like how you are Mary."

"Of course. And here I am right about to hit the brain drain lever and make myself stupid and giddy."

"Oi, if you guys are down whispering about whatever, we're here," Ichigo said as they stood in front of the Shiba household. "Now where specifically is she?" A pulse of Reiatsu later and he found Rukia standing meekly in front of Kukaku.

"Don't worry about it! You've been holding your fair share of burdens." Kukaku's words brought a relief look to Rukia's face.

"Thank you, Kukaku Shiba. I'm just so sor-" The apology was blown off its tracks by Kukaku's fist smashing straight into her face.

"I said no apologies!"

"Oh I'm sorr-No I mean...thank you?" Rukia's stammering was cut off by Ichigo and company walking towards her.

"Yo, midget," Ichigo said. "And pyromaniac. Sorry to interrupt, but we should get some sleep. Going to leave tomorrow."

"Ichigo." Her voice was quiet as the words left her tongue. "I've decided to stay here in the Soul Society."

"Good for you? Your life and your choice, but these guys are weird." Ichigo said with a shrug. "I guess we'll be going. Orihime will probably want to talk to you." He soon turned on his heel and began walking away.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Lady asked. "Why would she stay here?"

"I have no clue. But if she wants to stay here, let her stay. But I want to know what's your problem with Orihime?"

"What do you mean?" She feigned confusion.

"Don't try and hide stuff from me, Lady." He asked. "Now what got you pissed at Orihime."

"It's her entire being!" Lady's rage finally burst. "She acts like a complete moron who can't think her way out of a paper bag! She also can't fight for herself and she constantly relays on others. Why would I like her?!"

"Calm it, Mary," Trish said. "You can't exactly listen to Ichigo if you're in a rage."

"Hmmh." She gave a deep breath and exhale. "That's why I don't like her. I find her to be a foolish girl who can't wake up from a dream."

"Are you sure it's not self-hatred?" Trish suggested. "That she doesn't remind of yourself before you know what happened."

"Like yell she does." Her voice wavered slightly as she said that. "Or...she does?"

"Lady, you okay?" Ichigo walked close to her and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight hug and patted her lightly. "You're fine just the way you are."

"...Thank you." Her words were muffled in his chest. "Does this mean that your fine with me...disliking the doe?"

"That's a loaded question. You don't like Orihime because of her personality. If I was how I was a few months ago, I would have disagreed with you. Probably wouldn't like you guys." He sighed as he continued to pat Lady's back. He looked at his Devil Bringer with narrowed eyes. "But I'm not the same as I was. Not even excluding my looks. I'm...Different. If that makes any sense. My bonds with certain people have changed, thus also changing me."

"Is that a bad thing?" Trish asked. "Having your reality flipped on its head?"

"Don't know. I use to be a hotheaded dumbass, not thinking ahead. Having Dante, Nero, and Vergil released also released something in me. But to answer you, Lady. I'm closer to you guys then I think anyone."

"Really?" Lady's voice became unmuffled as she got out of Ichigo's grasp. "But you've known them for a hell of a lot longer!"

"True, but you guys fought alongside me. Nearly died because of me!" He gained a mournful expression as he looked away. "I never wanted you two to do that for me."

"Sorry for you, but we wanted to." Lady's stubbornly said. "We did that because-well-we love you goddammit!"

"Wait wait! Wha-why? And both of you?"

"Yeah, we've both got a thing for you," Trish spoke behind him. "You don't feel the same?"

"Yes! I mean no!" He began to slightly freak out before breathing deeply, calming himself. "I don't want to put you guys in danger. Nearly everyone I've interacted with has been hurt in some way. Orihime, Chad, and Tatsuki were attacked by Hollows. They got screwed up because of me somehow."

"Do we look defenseless?" Lady walked closer to him, Trish mirroring her actions. "This entire thing disproves your idea."

"I know damn it! I know!" Ichigo's rage-fueled him punching a tree with his regular hand, breaking the trunk in half and sending the upper half tumbling down. "Doesn't help that I feel the same."

"Then why are you making it such a big deal?"

"Just...Why me? And why both of you?"

"It's very simple Ichigo," Trish said, walking even closer to him. "You did something for us that no has ever done before; accept and trust us. So shut it. Didn't your mother say to keep a woman happy?"

"She did. Urgh! Why is such a mess?" He slumped against the remains of the tree.

"Turns out when you get involved with supernatural stuff, life is thrown into a storm," Lady said as they mimicked his actions, slumping against him. "But we'll help you pick it up?"

"Heh, I guess you guys will." He wrapped his arms around each of their shoulders. "Does this mean that this entire thing has been the first date? How would you rate it?"

"8/10," Trish answered. "Didn't particularly like the creepy waiter. Constantly comparing me to a Rangiku."

"Same here. Though I do like the gift I got. Turns out a laser if a really good gift."

"What is that exactly?" Ichigo asked. "The entire shooting a goddamn laser from your rocket launcher?"

"I...don't know." Lady rested a hand on Kalina Ann, which had been placed against the tree stump. "I just felt anger because of the bastard. I think I was covered in the green light, and all of that went into its barrel. Then the laser came out."

"Wonder if you could use it on command?" Ichigo murmured to himself. "Whatever. We can figure it out later." He soon got off his hunches. "We need to get some rest. The Sun is about to go down and we're leaving early in the morning."

Trish and Lady nodded, following his example and walked with him, being closer to him then they had before.

* * *

"What the hell is taking everyone so long?" Lady grumbled as she, Trish, and Ichigo stood in front of a Senkaimon. "It's not like they don't know where this is?"

"They're probably saying goodbye to a few people," Ichigo said, his pockets were stuffed with his hands. "I just want to get home."

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime chirped, waving animatedly as she was followed by Chad, Uryu, Jūshirō, and Yoruichi in her cat form. Lady's throat growled slightly at Orihime, though a light jab from Trish caused her to relax.

"About time you guys got here," Ichigo said as they approached closer. "Can we get going now?"

"Oh, so impatient Ichigo." Yoruichi teased, her deep voice reverberating along with the air. "What do have at home? A girl waiting in bed for you?"

Ichigo cracked a slight smirk at her teasing. "I didn't know you were a stalker Yoruichi. Urahara should get a spray bottle for you."

"Kurosaki." Uryu interrupted, pushing his glasses up. "We still need to have that discussion."

"Not exactly the right time for that."

"Where're your spirits?" Trish asked. "They didn't pop back into your head, did they?"

"Negative." Vergil's cold tone cut through the air. He walked towards them with Nero and Dante. Though it was more like dragging Dante along with the help of Nero. "We still are summoned."

"What happened to him?" Ichigo asked as he looked at the state of mess Dante was. The bandages wrapped around his head and the large cuts across his body made it look like he had been through a war zone.

"The dumbass thought it was a good idea to fight against Kenpachi Zaraki," Nero answered, hoisting Dante up. "Decided not to use regeneration cause it would make it too boring. Look where it got him."

"Still beat him." Dante croaked, weakly raising his hand in victory. "Though let's never do that again."

"Seems that fight didn't knock out any of his intelligence. Not that he had much, to begin with." Vergil said. "We shall be moving back into Ichigo for convenience."

They soon disappeared with blue particles and shot into Ichigo, making him glow blue before it disappeared. "So that is what he is," Jūshirō muttered. "Before you leave Ichigo. Please take this." He held out a piece of wood with a skull and crossbones design. "It is a Substitute Shinigami Badge. Over the years, there have been several humans who have been deemed useful. That badge has been given to them. It allows one to split their spirit from their body. It also detects hollows."

"Interesting." Ichigo grabbed the badge and put it in his pocket. "Thanks."

"It can certainly not repay you for what you and your friends have done." Jūshirō's eyes turned downcast, ashamed.

"Calm it. I did this thing to save the midget." He thumbed behind him. "So don't get sad over something out of your control."

Jūshirō's face reversed, gaining a small smile. "Thank you."

"Your welcome?" Ichigo's back soon faced Jūshirō and started to walk towards the Senkaimon, which began to glow blue. "See ya Rukia. Try not to have a wishing rock shoved into you again."

Rukia remained silent as she smiled at the departing Ichigo. The Senkaimon soon engulfed him and everyone else.

Within the Dangai, it was complete anarchy. Due to the little fact that the cleaner had been scheduled to clean while Ichigo and everyone were traveling towards the Human World.

"Just had to come while we're going!" Ichigo's complaint echoed with they stampeded towards the other side of the Dangai.

"Quit your complaining!" Yoruichi snapped. "Just keep running and you'll be fine!"

"Sorry if I don't like being chased like a rat!" The light came closer as they raced towards the opening. The light soon engulfed them as the chilling air of night enveloped them, welcoming them back into the Human World. The scene was cut short due to the several dozen feet that separated them and the ground. Gravity quickly kicked in and they were sent down towards the earth.

A net that was launched was their savior as they tumbled upward. "Jinta Homerun!" Jinta's voice called outside of the net as it was slammed downwards. It unfurled on a giant fabric that was hovering atop the town.

"Well hello there everyone!" Urahara greeted, his usual jovial tone preset. "How was your trip?"

"Just great. Learned how much of an asshole you are." Ichigo said with a frown.

"Ah, so you heard about me." Kisuke's face turned downtrodden as he knelt in front of him with his hat removed, being placed in front of Kisuke. "Please forgive me. For all of the things I have done."

Ichigo's mouth was about to open, before he remembered something, contorting his face into a smirk. "I'll forgive you if you do one thing for me."

"What precisely would give me your forgiveness?"

"Let me shove a burning rod where it doesn't shine!" The statement caused several stares to focus on Ichigo.

"How lewd of you Ichigo!" Urahara looked up with a grin, which was soon swiped off his face as he saw a burning Cerberus in Ichigo's grip. "Oh, you're serious."

"Completely." Ichigo soon stood up and walked closer towards Kisuke, but was stopped by Trish's and Lady's arms holding him back. "Let me get payback!"

"Calm it down Ichigo," Lady said, struggling to hold Ichigo back. "I would prefer you not enact a scarring scene."

"Ruin my revenge why don't you." Ichigo sat down reluctantly and dismissed Cerberus. "I guess you're forgiven for shoving a magic rock in Rukia. Just don't go going around doing it."

"Thank you, Ichigo," Kisuke muttered as he placed his hat back upon his head. "Thank you so much."

"Whatever."

"Mr. Kisuke. Do you mind dropping me off here?" Uryu stood as he spoke.

"Give me a moment and it'll be done." Urahara flipped open his fan as the fabric set itself down lower, allowing Uryu to jump down.

"Kurosaki. We will be discussing a certain subject soon."

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't like being told what to do." Ichigo responded. "So see ya."

Uryu's voice growled as he walked off. "Don't you think you were a bit rude Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked.

"He's a big boy. He can handle a little denial. Just because he's a Quincy doesn't mean I'm sucking up to him."

"That's rather harsh Ichigo," Chad spoke. "Why is it that you're being like that to Uryu?"

"Cause I thought about him and found him to be an asshole. Guy tries to soothe his ego about how Quincy are better than Shinigami by summoning Hollows! Which proceed to attack literally everyone I know!"

"Sounds like an asshole." Lady agreed. There were no more words spoken as the fabric took off and made it's stops, dropping of Chad and Orihime. Ichigo suddenly got up and looked over the edge.

"Eh, this should be good." He said before crooking his head to everyone else. "We'll be stopping here." His form soon dropped off the fabric, rapidly meeting the pavement. He landed with a thud. Trish soon followed. Ichigo held out his hands and caught Lady, who was quickly set down.

"Developing a sixth sense for me falling?"

"God knows I need to if you want both of your legs." They began walking towards Ichigo's home. The clinic soon stood ahead of them. "Home sweet home ladies!"

He opened the door silently, letting Trish and Lady in. The way towards his room was uninterrupted. The door to his room was pushed open by him and they piled in, Trish closing it behind them.

"So how are we going to solve this?" Ichigo asked, his gaze fixed upon his bed, which now seemed too small.

"How have we been sleeping for the past several days Ichigo?" Lady asked, opening his closet and setting Kalina Ann in there. "You act as our pillow."

"If I have to." Ichigo submitted, he tossed off his borrowed coat. He tossed himself onto the bed, with Lady and Trish piling onto him. "Nighty night girls."

"Night handsome." Trish's voice said, muffled in his right side.

"Night Ichigo," Lady said as well, though her voice held a twinge of reluctance.

"It'll be alright Lady," Ichigo whispered, as he rubbed her shoulder.

"Thank you, Ichigo," Lady whispered back, slowly falling asleep. Several minutes passed as Lady drifted into dreams.

"You're welcome...Mary." Ichigo responded, slowly drifting off to sleep himself.


	9. Angst Overload

Ichigo flexed his right arm, which had been wrapped in bandages. "This is going to be fun explaining to people." He grumbled as a hand grasp his shoulder.

"It'll be fine." The hand's owner, Lady insisted. "If they make a fuss, tell em' to fuck off."

"Besides, you've got us to hang out with," Dante spoke up. He and his brothers, along with Ichigo, Lady and Trish were all wearing the Karakura High School uniform; Grey Pants for the boys, a skirt of the same color for girls, and a white button-up shirt with short sleeves.

A week had passed and went, with Ichigo convincing his father to allow Trish and Lady to move in with them. Was surprisingly easy, mostly due to how Isshin was accepting of the duo and Karin and Yuzu were pretty conformable with them.

"I'm still confused as to why you guys are out here," Ichigo said, moving across the street as the light turned red and let them move. "You guys can not only appear to regular humans but can stay out of me indefinitely?"

"It is due to our Quincy part," Vergil stated. "We are able to absorb Reishi from the air and fuel ourselves with it. We also can force it into normal flesh."

"Talk about complicated," Ichigo muttered. "Can I do that? I kinda need a way to fight Hollows without people seeing me."

"That's a negative," Vergil answered. "Though your body will coat itself when it deems it necessary. A mixture of your Hollow instincts and Quincy control."

"Oh boy. Just wait until everyone meets your cousins." Nero said. His own arm was bandaged, but with the addition of a sling for some reason. "And your new hair."

"Hmm, if they don't like it, their lost," Trish said with a shrug. "I think it makes him look so dashing."

"Hope you guys are ready for high school, cause here we are," Ichigo informed, stopping in front of the building. They soon entered it and he spoke once more. "You have to go to the office first."

"You gonna miss us while we're there?" Trish teased, giving a blown kiss towards him. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon."

"Vergil," Ichigo said, getting his attention. "Make sure they don't destroy anything."

"Don't worry," Vergil reassured, his hand clenching a ruler he held like Yamato. "Nero and Dante will stay in line, or else." He quickly turned and joined the others, leaving Ichigo alone.

"Maybe I should have asked Lady." He muttered before heading off to his class. The hallways snaked him closer to his classroom. He stopped when he heard a voice scream accompanied with quick steps.

"Ichigo!" The voice yelled as he ran towards Ichigo. He was stopped in one of the most elegant ways possible; a clothesline to the face that sent him tumbling towards the ground, his head thumping as it hit it.

"Nice try dumbass," Ichigo said to a disoriented Keigo as he continued towards the stairs, passing by his friend, Mizuiro. He didn't stop for Ichigo, not even recognizing him.

"Well, " He greeted to a recovering Keigo. "It seems like your so unpopular, even new students are attacking you."

"What the hell are you talking about Mizuiro?" Keigo said confused, holding his head. "That was Ichigo."

"No, it wasn't Mr. Asano. It was some kid with shaggy white hair. Didn't catch a good look at him besides his arm. It was bandaged for some reason. And I think he had a tattoo."

"If that wasn't Ichigo, who the hell was the bastard who clotheslines me?"

* * *

Ichigo managed to get to his classroom and pulled open the door, showing everyone in the classroom, including Orihime, Uryu, Chad, and Tatsuki. _Time to face the music_. He told himself before entering, ignoring the looks he got. He sat down at his desk and set his head down, waiting for the class to start.

"Ichigo," Chad spoke, catching his attention as well as everyone else. "What held you up?"

"Had to show a few new students to the office." He answered with a single eye peeped open. "Just that."

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked. "Is that really you?"

"No, I'm the other Ichigo that Chad happens to be friends with." Ichigo raised his head and looked at her. "Of course it's me."

"Then what happened to your hair? Where did you get a tattoo? Better yet, what the hell happened to your arm to make it all bandaged?" By now, the entire class was now staring at Ichigo.

"Both of those questions can be answered by a single word; Cousins." He yawned slightly, covering his mouth with his bandaged right. "I'll explain it better when the new students show up."

"Hey, asshole!" Keigo insulted from the open door. "Your sitting in a spot that doesn't belong to you." He stared at Ichigo, whose eyes were closed as he relaxed. "So boot it."

"Yesh Keigo, nice to see you too." Ichigo greeted as he opened both of them, showing his brown-almond eyes. "And a nice recovery from the clothesline."

"You're actually Ichigo? What the hell happened to you!"

Before Ichigo could be a broken record, the teacher came in, holding a book in his arm. "Hello, students! Everyone get into their seats so we can get started!" Everyone quickly got into order and let Ochi continue. "Before we even start, we have quite a few new students! Why is it that I get all of you? Anyway, the first three come on in!"

The door was soon shadowed by a trio of triplets, all with silvery-white hair, and icy blue eyes. "Welcome the Redgrave Triplets! Dante, Nero, and Vergil! Mind saying something about yourself?"

Dante stepped up front. "Names Dante and enjoy pizza. Simple and sweet." He introduced himself before stepping back.

Nero was next. "I'm Nero and I'm generally cool unless you piss me off. Otherwise, there's going to be problems."

Vergil capped off the presentation with a blunt presentation. "I go by Vergil. That's all your getting."

"Is your hair naturally like that?" A student asked.

"It's au naturale," Dante said with a smirk, tousling his hair with his hand.

"Now that is done, we need to find you three seats." Ochi gazed over the class to find a few seats. "You can around Ichigo Kurosaki." Her book pointed towards him.

They went off without a word, sitting around Ichigo and forming a vague L-shape out of the four. "' Bout time you got here guys." Ichigo greeted.

"Nice to see you to Ichigo," Dante said. "All these eyes staring at us, kinda creepy."

Ichigo nodded in agreement before turning to the rest of the class. "You guys never have seen cousins interact before?"

"Your cousins? How interesting." Ochi commented. "Will the next three step in?" The door was shadowed by Lady, Trish, and some guy with blonde hair that reached his jaw, and an expression that showed his upper teeth.

"I'm...Mary Ann Arkham." Lady greeted with discomfort in her voice. "I like...Shooting?" She quickly stepped back and let Trish take the reigns.

"I'm Trish Inazuma. Hope you boys don't mind me." She gave a smirk at them all. "But I'm already in a relationship with a lucky guy. Sorry."

"Now that those lovely girls are done, I'm Shinji Hirako. Pleasure to make your acquaintance!" The newly named Shinji introduced himself with a wide smile.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes on him, who was putting on a spectacle. This guy seems...familiar. Don't know from where though.

"Pleasure to meet you three. But now we've got the same problem as before…Mary and Trish can sit on the sides of Kurosaki." Trish and Lady soon sat next to Ichigo, much to all three's pleasure. "And Shinji can sit...Next to Chad!"

"Well okay then!" Shinji said with a smile as he moved towards his seat, sitting next to Chad. "Hope we can be friends, big guy!"

"Maybe," Chad answered, before focusing on Ochi, who was beginning her lesson.

* * *

Several hours and several periods later, the bell signaled Lunch. "Okay, class! Time for lunch!" Ochi informed as her book tapped against her desk several times.

Ichigo groaned as sat up, stiff from sitting for so long. "Meet me on the roof after grabbing lunch." He told the Redgraves, Trish, and Lady. He got up without another word and made his way to the lunchroom, snagging a meal on the way.

When he got to the roof, it was dead as a graveyard. He sat against the wall and waited for everyone to show up. A few moments later, Lady and Trish showed up and sat next to Ichigo. "So how has your first day at school been?" He asked with a smirk.

"It's miserable." Lady groaned as she leaned against Ichigo. "The amount of crap is overwhelming. I would rather be traveling then this."

"But then you have met me." He said as he patted Lady's head. "And I wouldn't have met either of you guys."

"I guess you have a fair point strawberry," Trish commented as she also leaned against Ichigo. "We wouldn't be stuck to you like leeches if we didn't happen to bump into you."

"I'll be sure to keep you stuck on me then." He wrapped his arms around them both, pulling them closer. "Just be prepared for shit to hit the fan."

"Oh please Ichigo! Please be the knight in shining armor!"

"Hmm...Nah. I don't think being a knight suits him." Lady said. "I would have to say...A rebel."

"You know, they're a thing called a room. Should look into one. "Nero butted in, exiting the stairwell.

"I don't know little bro, we could've gotten some good blackmail material," Dante argued. He was followed by Vergil. "But you had to go and ruin it, didn't ya?"

"Be silent Dante," Vergil ordered as they sat down. "You shouldn't try to blackmail our "cousin"."

"Only this once will I quit talking since I have pizza." Dante pulled out a slice of said food and began eating it. "Ah! Ko Selicous!"

"Mind chewing with your mouth closed? Gross when don't." Nero complained, eating his own pizza.

"Is pizza a family thing?" Ichigo asked. "Cause, besides Vergil, that's all you two seem to eat."

"Maybe it is," Dante said, finishing his slice. "Just know that the only thing I might like more is strawberry sundaes."

"Fair enough." Ichigo's ears twitched as they picked up a few footsteps running up the stairs. "Who the hell is coming up here?" His question was soon answered as Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro showed themselves.

"About time I found you Ichigo," Tatsuki said. "Orihime and Chad were looking for you. Why are you hanging out up here with these guys?"

"Yeah come on Ichigo! Blow these losers and hang out with us." Keigo yelled with waving arms. "Well besides the ladies. They can come."

"Apologies for ." Mizuiro apologized. "He's a bit of an idiot. But with them? You said they were your cousins."

"They are. Meet my cousins. Nero, Dante, and Vergil." He introduced them.

"I didn't know that you had cousins," Tatsuki commented.

"Didn't know either until the summer. That's why I wasn't around for the summer. I was visiting them."

"And didn't you have fun with us," Dante said.

"You nearly destroy our arms!" Ichigo snapped. "I'm lucky I didn't end up like Nero."

"Oh please." Dante waved his arm. "You made it out of the wreck just fine."

"And that explains why we're here?" Vergil asked with an eyeroll. "We are here because you were foolish and destroyed the car during your joy ride, and were sent over here."

"So if those are your cousins, then who are the chicks?" Keigo asked.

"They..." Ichigo drew a blank for explaining Trish and Lady.

"We're new in town and Ichigo helped show us around when he got back," Trish explained. "He's quite...nice."

"Oh, common man! Why you gotta hoard all the hot chicks for yourself!" Keigo suddenly found Tatsuki's fist planted into his head.

"Shut it you perv! Your almost as bad Chizuru." Tatsuki complained as she twisted her fist to drive home her point.

"I like her," Vergil said with a smirk.

"Of course you would." Ichigo commented. "but I've got to ask ya something Tatsuki. Mind if I join your dojo?"

"Now why would you want to do that? You haven't done it in years."

Ichigo thumbed towards Vergil. "He beat my ass and mocked me for it. Decided that I should brush up on my karate and return the favor. That good for you?"

"Alright. I'll see what I can do to let the instructor in."

"If you're joining them, do you mind if I jump on?" Nero asked. "Could use the exercise."

"What about your arm? Can be going around with it like that." Tatsuki argued.

"And why were you allowed last year?" Ichigo asked. "You managed to kick ass with a broken arm. Nero can do the same."

"Fine. Don't come crawling to me if you get injured. But you'll have to wait until the end of the week to see if you're allowed."

"Meh, whatever." Ichigo sounded just before the bell went off, signaling the end of the lunch period. "Hope you guys aren't hungry. Cause you kinda wasted the entire period talking to us." He got up and made his way off the roof, intent on finishing the rest of the day.

* * *

"Bout time this damn thing ended," Nero complained as the day finally ended. "Think I'm regretting signing up for this."

"Suck it up, Nero. You guys decided it would be fun to go to school with me." Ichigo said. "You're toughing it out for the rest of the year."

"Aren't you just mean." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Figured that we'd just chill. We've got nothing to do besides homework. It feels weird saying that."

"Welcome to mundane life Ichigo." Lady butted in. "You can't exactly fight monsters."

"You don't have any room to talk Lady." Ichigo got up and stood in front of his desk. "Especially with how awkward you were earlier."

"I'm sorry! But I haven't exactly had a normal life for the past year."

"And that weird life led you to Ichigo. I would say it's a net gain." Trish said. "So why complain?"

"Let's get home. Kinda had enough of this place." They soon got up and made their way to the door, until Chad called out Ichigo.

"Ichigo. Shinji wanted to talk to you." Chad said.

"Hi there Ichigo!" Shinji greeted with a wide smile. "I hope to tell you that I would like to be your friend. So what do you say?"

"No thanks." Ichigo declined. "You just scream suspicion. So no thanks."

"Well, no need to be so mean man!" Shinji complained with crossed arms and a frown. "People ever call you rude?"

"Several times. I'll see ya later Chad. And creepy guy."

"See ya Ichigo," Chad said with a slight wave. Ichigo gave one back as he left with everyone else following him.

_So that's Ichigo? He is different from what I was told._ The thoughts rolled around Shinji's head as he soon left the classroom, noticing Ichigo walking in the opposite direction._ Already thinks I'm creepy. Good going Shinji. Hiyori's going to be pissed!_

"So how are we going to explain you guys to the old man?" Ichigo asked as they walked down the street towards the clinic.

"You think we're living with you?" Dante asked. "Nah. Not enough space. We'll just go into your inner world. Speaking of which..." They soon disappeared and entered Ichigo.

"Dah! That's still an odd feeling." Ichigo said as he stopped for a moment, adjusting to them being in him, before catching up to Trish and Lady.

"So why haven't you confronted your dad about his Shinigami stuff?" Lady asked. "I thought you would be pissed beyond hell about it."

"Tch, I am. But I can't find a good time to make him spill." Ichigo explained with a scowl. "Pissing me off that he hasn't told me, Yuzu, or Karin."

"Hey! Get back here asshole!" A voice called out behind them. Lady turned to see a fleeing thug holding the guy's bag. She held her foot out and tripped the thug, sending him tumbling to the ground. She planted her foot on his back, holding him in place

"Talk about an asshole," Ichigo said as he snatched the bag from the guy. "Here's your stuff man."

Said man was well built and had combed-back, black hair. "Thanks, guys." The man said as he took the bag from Ichigo. "I'm Kūgo Ginjō!"

"Nice to meet ya Kūgo." Ichigo greeted as he started to walk away. "Try not to have your shit stolen alright?"

"Um...Okay. Mind joining me for some ramen? As thanks for stopping him."

"No thanks, man." Ichigo answered, "We've got stuff to do. So see ya." They started walking away, Lady stepping off the thug.

"Looks like you dropped something," Kūgo remarked as picked up a small black card.

"What the hell did I drop?" Ichigo turned and grabbed the flicked card Kūgo had sent towards him. He saw it had a white band near the top and the words, "Welcome to our Xcution." written on the bottom. "Hey this isn't-" Where ever Kūgo was, it wasn't where Ichigo was.

"What was that guy's deal?" Lady asked as she looked at the card over Ichigo's shoulder.

"I've got no clue. But," Ichigo's fingers flipped over the card and saw a phone number. "This screams creepy. Like Shinji levels of creepy."

"So what's the plan?" Trish asked as Ichigo stuffed the card into his pant's pockets.

"We sit on it. We don't know who that Kūgo guy is. And I've got to deal with that Shinji guy. He's familiar somehow. His Reiatsu is at least."

"So head home?" Lady questioned, earning a nod from Ichigo. "Good. Your sister's cooking is pretty good."

"Eh, I guess it is." Trish agreed as the started the walk towards the clinic once more. When they got in the clinic, they saw that Isshin wasn't there.

"Where's the old man?" Ichigo asked as he sat down at the table, Yuzu preparing dinner.

"Don't know," Karin said. "Goat Chin said that he was going out for the night. All he said."

"Huh, seems weird."

"Ya think?" She responded. "He's been acting weird recently. And I'm talking your levels of weird."

"You shouldn't be mean to big bro Karin!" Yuzu yelled as she pulled a steaming pot of the stove. "There's nothing weird with Ichigo anyway! Dinner is served by the way."

"What did you make?" Lady asked, having pulled up a seat next to Ichigo, Trish mimicking her.

"Take a look!" Yuzu placed the pot on the table, showing it was ramen. "Hope you find delicious."

"Considering your past cooking, I'm sure it's good." Lady's face had a smile as Yuzu nodded.

"So, what are guys exactly?" Karin asked as they ate. "You guys seem to stay around Ichigo around a lot."

"You mind keeping a secret?" Ichigo asked as he looked around. When Yuzu and Karin nodded, they leaned closer. "They're technically my girlfriends."

"Really Ichigo! How could you be such a playboy!" Yuzu cried out in slight despair. Her sister, however, had a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"How did you managed to score two babes like them? I would have thought you would've gone out with Orihime or Tatsuki." Karin said.

"Nah, when we saw this stud, we couldn't let other people nab him. So we corrupted him." Trish explained with a teasing smile.

"See why I didn't want the old man to know? Trish is nearly impossible." Ichigo said exasperated. "But Lady helps balance her out."

"We won't tell dad," Karin confirmed with a nod. "But if he finds out, you're on your own."

"Eh, we'll be fine." Lady waved off. "But let's start eating."

They soon dug into the food, enjoying it with each slurp.

"So why are we looking into this guy? He seems pretty normal." A bored voice toned outside of the clinic, standing on top of a building overlooking it. The owner of the voice was a young looking boy with blonde hair, a few bangs which covered one of his piercing green eyes. The hair was tucked underneath a black cap which complimented his mostly black outfit; black coat, pants, and boots, with the exception of a white cravat.

"He was normal Yukio. But something happened to him." A female voice argued. The owner was an older woman with dark skin and black hair, reaching her chin. "Apparently he's a good candidate to transfer. Not to mention his girlfriend."

"Whatever Jackie. If Kūgo wants us to keep track of him, I'll just leave a lookout." Yukio said as he paid more attention to his handheld game. He pressed a few buttons and a small pigeon appeared on the roof.

It cooed as it seemed to pixalize for a moment before returning to normal. "There. Can we go now?"

"Fine. Just make sure you tell Kūgo about what you did." They soon left the rooftop, leaving the pigeon to coo before taking off, staying close to the clinic.

* * *

After the meal and Ichigo and his partners helped clean the dishes, they retreated into his room. Ichigo groaned as he sat on the bed. "This has been a tiring day." He commented.

"Have to agree with you," Lady said as she sat next to him. "Suspicious people are attracted to you like a moth to a flame."

"Hope they get burned then," Trish added as she hopped onto Ichigo lap, making herself comfortable. "Cause they are going to have a hard time beating him."

"Fair point. But why are they after him?"

"Probably because of my clusterfuck of genes." Ichigo guessed as he adjusted Trish on his lap. "I seem to be everything. So they may want to recruit me like the Shinigami did."

"Has that stupid badge even gone off yet?" Lady asked. "Cause I want to hunt some Hollows."

"Since when did you like hunting Hollows?"

"Since we decided to move in with you. Didn't your friends always help you fight Hollow?"

"Don't come crawling to me if you get hurt," Ichigo said with a smirk.

"I think I'll be fine. Just don't get jealous when we kick more ass than you."

"Enough with the teasing you two." Trish interrupted. "Unless your going to include me than the angry sex is a no go."

"What!" Lady asked with a blush. "We weren't even thinking about that! Were you?"

"Nah, I wasn't," Ichigo said. "I think Trish is dirty minded."

"You're dense if you didn't figure that out," Trish said.

"I was thinking about killing Hollows! When is that damn badge going to

They all slightly jumped when a loud growling sound could be heard from his pocket. Ichigo pulled it out of his pocket (having to move Trish, much to her displeasure), and saw it was the badge, eyes flashing yellow.

"Looks like you're a fortune teller Mary." Trish teased. "We going to get it?"

"I would prefer you guys to stay here. You need to get some rest. Please."

"Hmmph, you're no fun," Trish said with a frown as she crossed her arms. "But we'll stay here then."

"Just don't stay out. You need sleep like us." Lady mentioned as Ichigo sat up and opened his window. His clothes soon glowed blue as they changed. Where there once was a school uniform, now there were clothes better suited for hunting.

The lower body was the same as in the Soul Society. But the main difference was the coat and vest. The new vest was now black sleeveless, and resembling body armor. It had an upturned collar. The coat once was a dark red almost crimson-colored, four-tailed one, though the sleeves now only reached his elbows, showing his Devil Bringer in its unholy glory. The middle tail of it was slightly shorter than the other two, having it split into two, smaller tails. The outer, longer tails had elaborate, black scrollwork sewn into them.

"Not a bad look," Ichigo commented as he did a once over at his new look. "I'm sure the Hollows would agree."

"I know I do." Trish agreed. "Now go and be a hero!"

"Alright alright!" He soon jumped out and left Lady and Trish alone.

* * *

Now_, where is this Hollow?_ Ichigo mused, standing on a roof as he used Pesquisa repeatedly to narrow down its location. He smirked when he felt it's Reiatsu. _Hope he's ready for some steel!_ His feet glowed blue as he flickered and moved towards it.

He stopped when he saw it. "Hey, asshole!" He yelled, earning a roar from it. "Rarr, to you too! Let's just get this over with, shall we?" The Hollow jumped off the roof it was on. Ichigo's face gained a smirk as he held out his hand, Blue Rose appearing. When the Hollow smashed its fist down where Ichigo was, he quickly dashed aside. Wordlessly changing Blue Rose into Red Queen, Ichigo retaliated with a brutal two-handed swing, slicing off its leg.

It let out a pained roar as it was sent to the ground. Its eyes rapidly flickered around, focusing on Ichigo that was in front of it. "The player is up to kick, will he get the field goal?" Ichigo commentated himself as the Hollow gave off an animalistic growl. He rapidly ran up and kicked the Hollow's head, the force of it sending the head flying, disintegrating while it entered the threshold between the stratosphere and troposphere. "The ball is sent! He wins the game! The crowd goes wild!"

Ichigo laughed wildly at himself before calming down. "Time to head home then. Don't want to leave the ladies in wait." He soon began walking home, wanting to take in the night.

"Halt!" A voice called out from above, earning a groan from Ichigo, who turned to see who was talking. The person in question was definitely a Shinigami, given that he was wearing a Shihakushō and had a katana strapped to his waist. The most identifying feature was the large afro on his head.

"What the hell do you want?" Ichigo asked. The Shinigami jumped from the roof, nearly eating from the newest restaurant in Karakura Town; the pavement.

"I'm Zennosuke Kurumadami! The Shinigami assigned to this town!" Zennosuke introduced himself, his tone carrying arrogance in it. "And I want to know what looks like a human is doing!"

"I ain't a human." Ichigo pulled out the Substitute Badge. "Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I've never heard of a Substitute Shinigami." Zennosuke soon narrowed his eyes. "And I don't some punk kid doing my job!"

"Heh, a punk kid?" Ichigo asked while. "I'll show you a punk kid when I beat your ass!" He soon slammed Red Queen into the ground.

"You intend to fight one of the Gotei 13's elites?" Zennosuke asked, arrogance present of his facial expression. "You're a fool!" He became slightly unnerved as he heard the roar of Red Queen's engine, the blade getting red hot.

"The only fool here is the asshat thinking he can beat me." Ichigo ripped his sword from the ground. He slowly walked closer towards Zennosuke. "Where's your tough talk? Huh?"

Ichigo heard a light laughing of someone behind him, slightly covering the swish of a sword. His muscles tensed as he spun Red Queen around, blocking the strike from Shinji! The meeting of the blades was followed by a large shockwave, launching Zennosuke away.

"If you're trying to be my friend, you're doing a shit job Shinji," Ichigo commented as he pushed Shinji away. "Now why the hell are you trying to be a backstabber?"

"I recommend you calm down Ichigo," Shinji suggested with a finger wave meant for a child. "Otherwise you'll attract some unwanted beings."

"Then I'll kick their asses. Like yours, if you don't start talking!"

"Hmm? My Zanpakuto didn't give you a hint?"

"Your not a Shinigami for sure. Your clothes aren't like them."

"I guess you're a bit sharper then you let on. Fine. Maybe this will give you a hint." He raised his hand and blue Reiatsu began to gather and form something. The end result was a white mask that resembled a pharaoh's, complete with a flowing hood. "Does it ring a bell?"

"Not at all," Ichigo answered bluntly. He sighed before continuing. "What's your damn point?"

"Simple Ichigo. You don't belong with them, the Shinigami. You're one of us. You're a Visored."

"Is that the name of your little club? Cause I'm going to decline." Ichigo began walking away. "I'm not interested in whatever cool-aid you and your buddies are drinking."

"You can't say no Ichigo. You'll eventually succumb to the Hollow in you."

Ichigo would have retorted but he felt a sense of Reiatsu. One that he hadn't felt in months. One that stirred fury and anger in him. "Fisher," Ichigo muttered as he began to walk in the direction of Grand Fisher.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?" Shinji called out.

"And I don't give a flying fuck attached to a fuck copter!" Ichigo responded. "I've got more important things to do than waste time with your club! I'm not interested." He soon flickered out of Shinji's view, leaving him silent and slightly scarred.

Ichigo rapidly moved through the air, his mind solely focused on one thing; Grand Fisher. Hope you're ready bastard! His mind was flooded with rage as he finally stopped above Grand Fisher, who had a complete makeover.

He now was a Goliath, easily giving the clinic a run for its money for its height. The green fur covered it's entire body and left the back of its Hollow Hole open. The mask was unchanged, but was accompanied by a giant Zanpakuto that rested amongst is fur.

Ichigo soon appeared before it. It looked down and gave a low, gravely chuckle. "Ichigo Kurosaki. Do you intend to face me in your human body?" He asked.

"Trust me. You'll be beaten even with it." Ichigo answered. "Now enough talk."

"Very well." Fisher grasped his giant sword and swung down, intent on bifurcating Ichigo or rather smashing him into oblivion.

Ichigo remained silent as he held up his hand, a blue pattern appearing on it. The blade struck it, causing sparks. "What is this?" Fisher asked as he attempted to pull his sword back, but a spectral arm grasped its blade, holding it down.

"Don't think so," Ichigo said calmly, betraying his internal emotions. He pulled down and planted it into the ground. "Weren't you told not to blade with sharp objects?"

"You think I am incapable without my weapon? You fool!" Fisher raised his fist and smashed it into the ground, kicking up rubble and dust. When it cleared, Ichigo was standing on the fist with Yamato in his grasp, the sheath held behind his back. He slowly sheathed it via over his back. "You think that a puny weapon such as-" The words died as the sheath met the guard, creating a "klink" sound. The hand and lower portion of the arm fell apart, looking like it went through a blender.

Fisher screamed in pain, recoiling in pain as Ichigo stared coldly. "That is what this night will be. Painful. Long. And revenge for what you did." Ichigo stated as he slowly walked forward, dismissing Yamato and Red Queen. He cracked his knuckles as he continued to walk at a steady pace.

"You-bastard!" Fisher yelled as Ichigo's arms became covered in a pattern like before. But instead of a soft blue, it was a menacing red. Ichigo jumped, the ground breaking beneath him and slugged Fisher in the face, destroying his mask.

Instead of dying like other Hollows before, the fragments gave way to a humanoid face with three apostrophe like marking near each eye. "How does it feel? Do feel weak and trapped? Cause this is how my mother did when you killed her!" Ichigo felt something with his eyes but didn't give it much thought.

"Is this what you are here for? Revenge?" Fisher gave a low laugh like before. "It would appear that I will need to unleash my true power." His body grew, swathes of fur fell off, and two horns jutted out of his shoulders.

"Now why don't you play with me?" A voice asked from behind Ichigo. "And leave Kon alone?"

Ichigo turned to see his father Isshin, or some doppelganger. Instead of regular clothes and a goofy expression, the man before Ichigo was wearing a Shihakushō, a Haori strapped to his shoulder and waving in the air, and carried himself with an air of confidence.

"I'm not that damn pervert!" Ichigo yelled, his emotions nearly overwhelming him. Isshin noticed Ichigo's appearance, mainly his Devil Bringer, and his eyes. They now had a black iris and a hollowish yellow purple.

_My son._ Isshin thought sadly. _What has happened to you?_

"We're going to be talking after I finish this gigantor." Ichigo turned back to Fisher.

"You fool! You will not be able to defeat-" Ichigo snarled as he jumped up, grabbing Fisher's face with his spectral arm. He twisted himself and Fisher as he smashed him into the ground, destroying him.

"Now then." Ichigo walked closer, the remains of Grand Fisher fading away behind him. "Time to have that discussion."

"It's pretty simple Ichigo. I'm a Shinigami." Isshin said with a shrug. "What else is there to discuss?"

"I can name a few. How about why you never told your children? Especially me."

"You weren't ready to know." He insisted. "You didn't need that burden on you." By now, Ichigo and Isshin were mere feet apart.

"I didn't need that burden!?" Ichigo grasped Isshin's clothes, hoisting him up. "You didn't be a good idea to tell me that I, oh I don't know, have Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow powers?!"

"How do you know about your Quincy heritage?"

"My Zanpakuto. But that's not the point." Ichigo roughly pushed Isshin away as he let go of him. "I'm in the need to let off some steam before I'm willing to talk. And you just volunteered."

"You really don't mean to fight your old man, do you?" Isshin's answer was met with the slamming of Red Queen into the ground. "I suppose you do." He, reluctantly drew his sword, Engetsu.

_I'm _sorry_ son. But it looks like I'll have to knock some sense into you!_ Isshin's grip tightened on the grip, feeling his determination being mirrored by Engetsu.

"Let's go then!" Ichigo yelled as he ripped Red Queen out and quickly dashed towards Isshin, who held his own weapon with both hands in front of him. One represented rage and revenge. The other was calm and wanted reconciliation.


	10. Many Firsts

Two blades clashed on a desolate street. One belonged to a son, the other was a father. Ichigo clashed with Isshin's Engetsu. They were roughly the same in strength at this time. "Looks like your stronger than I'd guess," Ichigo said as he put his other hand on the sword and pushed harder, overwhelming Isshin.

The lock was stopped and Ichigo attempted to slam Red Queen into him, but Isshin stepped back, the swing missing him. "You're taking this seriously, aren't you Ichigo?" Isshin asked. "I won't take you serious. I can't."

"You better." Ichigo's voice came out slightly warped as if it came out of a Hollow Mask. The scales of his right arm seemed to have crawled further up his arm, affecting his coat. "Otherwise you're screwed!"

"Fine Ichigo." Isshin sighed it out as he held out his hand. "Hadō #31. Shakkahō!" Energy began to gather around his hand, forming a red ball of it. It was soon launched towards Ichigo. As if not by his own volition, Ichigo held out his Devil Bringer and a small red Cero formed and fired off. Both projectiles clashed, resulting in a small explosion that did little to any damage to either.

"How did you use a Cero Ichigo?" Isshin asked with slightly wide eyes. His form became less casual and more battle ready.

"It's an instinctual thing." Ichigo dashed forward with a swing already being set up. "And it's piss poor for you!" The scales grew further up his coat and arm and his hair began to stiffen. Isshin raised Engetsu and blocked Red Queen.

"Gonna have to do-" Isshin was interrupted with the roaring of Red Queen's engine pushing the blade through his defense, cutting his chest. "Heh, didn't know you had a fire-based Zanpakuto too."

"Too? Is that what yours does?" Ichigo asked. "Seems like you might want to bust it out."

"Maybe your right Ichigo." He held his sword out in front of him. "Burn, Engetsu!" The blade soon was covered in a fiery Reiatsu aura, causing the two tassels attached to it to be lit ablaze.

"Just some sparks? Pathetic." Ichigo said. Isshin's hand moved to his wound and got coated with some blood, which was soon coated onto the blade. It once again got covered in energy, which got released as a wave which soon crashed into Ichigo, covering him. It had a great roar accompanying it, blocking any sounds from Ichigo.

When the energy dispersed, Ichigo was nowhere in sight. "Ichigo?" Isshin asked scared. He tighten with fear. That seemed to go through the roof when he felt a sword poke his back.

"You really suck at fighting," Ichigo said behind him. "But you've probably been out of the fight for a while."

"Ichigo." Isshin sounded as he turned his head, seeing Ichigo. By now, half of his coat had become scalish, with the vest turning silver. There was now a red line which went from his right eye to his mouth. "Do you know what's happening to you?"

"You mean the scales? Yeah." His voice had warped even more. "And I'm running low on steam."

"So are we done?"

"Almost." Ichigo soon removed Red Queen from his back. "Just need to do one thing first." He stood in front of Isshin.

"Do you want a hug?" Isshin held his arms out. Ichigo came in close before smashing his head into Isshin's sending him reeling back and breaking his nose. "Ah! Why did you do that?"

"Wanted to," Ichigo answered casually. The growth of scales reverted and the red line was fading, peeling away and turning into nonexistent ash. His eyes were now back to normal as well. "Only reason I'm not doing more is for Yuzu and Karin's sake."

"Ah good! Seems like I don't need to step in then!" Kisuke made himself known, walking down the street. "I thought it would have gone a lot worst for Isshin."

"Would have if I wasn't occupied with other things. Now spit it out, why are you here Kisuke?"

"Just getting straight to the point Ichigo? Alright then." His demeanor shifted to being serious, his eyes being covered. "I wanted to make sure that Isshin's power didn't fail on him. He was suppose to defeat that Arrancar behind you."

"To bad. I did it for him. And it felt good!" He rolled his right shoulder. "Whatever happened to me is a bit of a strain."

"Ichigo, did you hold anything against Grand Fisher?" Isshin asked Ichigo.

"Of course I fucking did!" Ichigo shouted. "You should too!"

"No, I shouldn't. They're Hollows? It's simply how they are."

"Sorry to say "dad"." Isshin cringed at the sarcasm at his title. "But I'm a really stubborn person. And I'm stubborn about a person who killed my mother!"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I've got a few things to ask you Ichigo." Ichigo's narrowed eyes turned to Kisuke. "Were you approached by a man with a Hollow Mask and a Zanpakuto?"

"Yup. And I declined his ass hard when he invited me to his clubhouse. Said something about being overtaken by my inner Hollow."

"You need to accept Shinji's offer Ichigo," Isshin said, Kisuke nodding in agreement. "That thing inside you will eventually rampage."

"I take offense to that!" Dante's voice called out, appearing next to Ichigo. "I ain't even a Hollow!"

"I suppose you aren't. Yoruichi mentioned it to me when you returned." Kisuke muttered. "But if you're not his Hollow, what are you?"

"I'm vaguely like the big brute Ichigo axed. Something like an Arrancar." Dante's hand soon grasped Rebellion.

"If you're working with Ichigo, shouldn't he have a mask?"

"Oh, that thing." Dante held out his hand, forming the mask he used in Soul Society. "Catch kid!" It was tossed to Ichigo, who caught it.

He turned it over, looking at the design, before dawning it. His eyes turned back to how they were earlier. "I kinda feel...stronger." His voice was heavily warped, even more so than before. He pulled it off as it faded away in red particles. "Shit. Now how do I get it back?"

"Hold your hand over your face and focus your Hollow Reiatsu on it. Should work. Or blow off your face." Dante shrugged. "You'll be fine if it blows up in your face."

"Ah yes, I want to have my face shredded by a Cero!" He snapped before putting his hand in front of his face. The lightning effect returned once more, forming a mask that was slightly different than Dante's. Instead of two ram horns, there was a singular one, on the left side which plunged downwards near his shoulder. The most interesting detail was the entire thing was fragmented, only being held together by red energy.

"Not bad Ichigo," Dante mentioned. "Should give you a bit of a kick to Ebony and Ivory."

"I guess." Ichigo's mask crackled and disappeared as he focused on Isshin. "Should probably heal your wounds."

"You know healing Kidō?" Isshin's face should slight shock. "Didn't think you'd take an interest in it."

"Don't know any, but I've got something just as good." He gave out a whistle and the tattoo on his neck emptied itself out, leaving an outline. Kikōō soon appeared in a burst of flames and rested on Ichigo's shoulder, now back to its regular, hawk size. She rubbed Ichigo face. "Nice to see you too. But I was wondering if you could heal the dumbass' wounds?"

Kikōō sang before taking off, hovering above Isshin. Her beak opened and a gob of golden fire splashed onto Isshin. He freaked out, thinking he was burning until he realized he wasn't feeling any pain. It was the exact opposite. He felt his wound healing.

Kikōō cooed before returning to Ichigo's shoulder. "How?" Isshin asked as he gave himself a once over.

"Kikōō can heal people with her flames." He explained as he lightly rubbed Kikōō. "She's pretty useful."

"Kikōō? You mean the Sōkyoku?" Kisuke asked. "But I heard it was destroyed."

"Technically was, but I got Kikōō to obey me. Now if you don't have any more questions," Ichigo turned to Fisher's sword, which was still embedded in the road. Ichigo walked towards it. "What to do with you?" His words came out as a murmur, not reaching anyone's ears besides Kikōō's. He flexed his fingers and summoned his spectral arm and grasped its hilt.

"What are you doing Ichigo?" Isshin asked, walking closer. "It could be dangerous to touch it!" His words reach Ichigo to late as the sword was pulled from its asphalt sheath. It soon glowed blue and absorbed into the Devil Bringer. Ichigo swung his spectral arm and a spectral replica of Grand Fisher's sword appeared.

"Now this is going to be useful." Ichigo dismissed the spectral arm and sword combo. "I'm heading home, just don't expect me to be all jolly with you." He began to walk home.

"That could've gone better," Isshin said with a groan. "Guess this what I get."

"Sucks for you old man," Dante spoke. "You probably should've gone clean with who Ichigo really is."

"I don't need to be lectured by a Hollow." He spoke. "Besides, I still don't trust you."

"Why? Because I'm Ichigo's Hollow side?"

"It is rather peculiar that you are more in line with an Arrancar," Urahara stated. "Why are you so cooperative with Ichigo?"

"I'm his Zanpakuto, a reflection of himself. The best person you can trust is yourself." Dante's words were followed by him going back to Ichigo, but not before speaking once more. "You've gotten weaker since last time."

His words left a stunned Isshin. "Last time?" He tried the words in his mouth. "Does he remember being White?"

"Perhaps," Kisuke said. "Highly doubt that we'll get much info out of Ichigo or his Zanpakuto. It appears that he's a stubborn one."

"You think?" Isshin's tone turned snarky to Kisuke. "I need to train him in case the worst happens."

"Doesn't seem likely Isshin. He rejected offers from myself, Shinji, and Yoruichi. Though she trained his Zanpakuto. Best to leave him be."

"Fine. I'm heading home." Isshin soon followed Ichigo's footsteps to the Clinic.

* * *

Ichigo shut the door as he arrived home. His outfit changed back into his school uniform on the way back. He went into the living room and pulled out a book. He sat on the couch and opened it up, showing a collection of photos of his family. He flicked through it, eventually landing on a specific one.

It showed a younger Isshin and Masaki both smiling, Masaki hugging Isshin. Congrats Mom. You've been put to rest. His eyes slightly watered but didn't release any drops. He stared at the picture for a while before he noticed something. There was a hand grasping Masaki's shoulder.

It didn't belong to Isshin as his arms were grasping her waist. Who is that? Curiosity piqued, Ichigo removed the picture and saw the photo was actually was folded. He unfolded it and showed another person, with white hair and wearing glasses. He had a neutral face as he grasped Masaki's shoulder.

Ichigo flipped over the picture and was even more surprised when he saw writing on the back. "Ryūken Ishida." Under it was a string of numbers. A number? A guy related to Uryu I guess. He got off the couch and made his way to his room.

He opened the door and saw Trish and Lady were currently sleeping. Guess I have to keep quiet. He sat on his chair and turned on his phone and tapped in Ryūken's number. The phone toned as he waited for it to be picked up.

* * *

A puff of smoke came out of Ryūken's mouth. He was at the hospital, more specifically in his office. "Foolish son." He said to himself as he took another drag of his cigarette. "Why were you so foolish to throw away your meager powers? I wonder what choice you'll take Uryu."

He felt a vibration from his pocket and was slightly surprised by it. The phone that he had was his personal one and very few had access to it. I highly doubt it's Uryu. He took out his phone and saw it was the unknown number.

He put his head close to the phone and spoke. "Who is this?"

"This is Ryūken Ishida, right?" The voice on the other side was a whisper and belonged to a teen.

"How did you get this number?"

"This is Ichigo Kurosaki. I found your number on a picture of you and my parents."

"Ah. Masaki's boy. Why are you contacting me?" He heard a sigh on the other side.

"I wanted to ask you a few things about Quincies. It's a bit late, so can we met up tomorrow?"

"Hmm, perhaps. Met me at this cafe after school." Ryūken quickly listed a cafe in the town.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Ichigo soon left the call. Leaving a silent Ryūken.

"Isshin is going to be upset that you contacted me, nephew. I wonder what you're decisions will be." He told himself as he went back to doing paperwork.

* * *

Ichigo leaned against the chair at his desk. "What's his connection between him and mom? He knew about her without me mentioning her name." He murmured to himself before he got out of it.

He looked at Trish and Lady on his bed and sighed at the scenario. "How am I getting in here?"

"Hm? Ichigo?" Trish asked as she slowly woke up. "You okay?"

Ichigo gave a slight smile, if slightly strained. "Yeah. A lot better than I have been in a while." Trish gave a raised eyebrow.

"Wanna talk about it? It looks like you've got something gnawing at your soul."

Ichigo shook his head. "Nah. We've got school and I wouldn't want you to lose sleep."

"I'll be fine. You look like you won't with whatever is on your mind." She slowly removed the blanket from her, careful not to wake up Lady, showing she was wearing a white nightgown which complemented her looks.

"Fine. Let's talk in the kitchen. Don't want to wake up Yuzu or Karin." They tipped-toed out of their room and down the stairs. They sat down at the table, opposing each other. "So what happened tonight?"

"Remember what I said about my mom, how she was killed by a Hollow?" Trish gave a pained look but nodded. "I found the bastard who killed her. He transformed into something called an Arrancar. I killed him."

"Ichigo," Trish said quietly and held Ichigo hand with her own. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm relieved actually. But that's not what's on my mind. Turns out my dad regained his Shinigami powers. And didn't care about Grand Fisher killing her."

"You're wrong Ichigo," Isshin spoke from the front door. He was no longer in a Shihakushō, but regular, human clothes. "I just didn't hold a grudge against him."

"Tch, you should have."

"Moving past that, we've got things to discuss." He moved closer to the table and sat down next to Ichigo, who responded by getting up and sitting next to Trish. Isshin sighed at his son but continued the talk. "We need to start training you."

"Training how?" Ichigo had a confused look. "And what precisely would you train me in?"

"A technique that I would prefer not to ever have you learn, but the situation may call for it. It's called the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō."

"What the hell is Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō?"

"A foolish skill that you won't learn," Vergil spoke as he appeared next to Ichigo.

"Ah, nice to see you to Vergil." Ichigo greeted. "What's the deal with it?"

"Who is that Ichigo?" Isshin asked as he tensed up.

"He's my Zanpakuto. Now spill it, what is this thing all about."

"The Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō gives terrifying power at the cost of one's Shinigami powers being lost forever."

"...And that idea is going promptly in the trash." Ichigo said, earning a shocked look from Isshin. "Sorry if losing my powers isn't on the top of the list."

"I know you don't like it Ichigo, but it may be the only way to defeat Aizen."

"I am able to damage Aizen," Vergil informed, holding Yamato in front of him. "A swift cut to his neck will suffice."

"Jesus. I didn't think we were killing him." Ichigo commented. "And I don't even know Getsuga Tenshō, so I can't learn the final version of it."

"And you will not learn it." Vergil insisted as he grasped Ichigo's shoulder. "It is not our technique."

"Damn," Isshin muttered. "I guess I can't teach you."

"Whatever. I'm heading to sleep." Ichigo got up and started to walk to his room, being followed by Trish. "I've got stuff tomorrow, so I'm not going to be home."

"This situation is getting more and more complicated," Isshin told himself in a whisper.

"So it is what you sow and reap," Vergil commented as he leaned against the wall.

"What do you mean?"

Vergil pushed himself off the wall. "Your choice to hide Ichigo's nature from himself will cause him to seek them out."

"What do you mean?"

"It is not hard to understand." Vergil words were followed by him disappearing from Isshin's view, leaving him with his thoughts.

* * *

"How you think this is going to go?" Ichigo asked as sat on a chair outside a cafe. It was after school and nothing of interest happened. Uryu complained, Keigo was perverted, and Shinji tried to make him join his club.

"Most likely well," Vergil answered, sitting in the chair right to Ichigo. "Though my presence my alarm him."

"He would probably be confused about how I even know a few Quincy techniques."

"Indeed I am," Ryūken spoke as arrived. "Hello, Ichigo."

"Nice to see ya Ryūken." Ryūken sat opposing to Ichigo. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it ablaze and put it in his mouth.

"Now who is your friend?"

"It's a long story. But to shorten that, he's my Quincy heritage manifested." He thumbed Vergil. "He looks scarily similar to you."

"I can see the resemblance," Ryūken said as he gazed at Vergil. "So he is the reason for your knowledge of your heritage?"

"Indeed. I would have progressed his lessons, but I lack the supplies necessary." His jaw tightened before he continued. "We would like to ask you for your assistance."

"Hmm...Very well." Ryūken nodded. "Consider this a favor for Masaki." He fished into his suit's pocket and pulled out a necklace and presented it to Ichigo. Instead of the traditional silver and cross shape, it was a gold color and had two sets of wings clutching a red gem. "This was your mother's. I would assume she would want this."

Ichigo grabbed it from Ryūken, clutching it tightly in his hand before looking into his eyes. "Why did you have this?"

"Do you not know the connection between Masaki and myself?" A shake of Ichigo's head gave Ryūken all the info he needed. "I see. To summarize the relation between us it that when we were of younger age, Masaki was adopted into my own family. You know of my son, Uryu. She grew up with me, but was to marry me to continue the bloodline."

"Did you agree with it?" Ichigo growled slightly.

"I did not like it. But the Quincies were and still are nearly extinct. She was closer to a sister than anything else."

"Well nice to meet you, uncle," Ichigo said. "So what else to want to talk about?"

Ryūken took a drag from his cigarette. "My break is drawing to a close, but I wish to ask one thing. Why do you wish to gain the power of the Quincy?"

"Is asking why I want power a Quincy trait?" He asked rhetorically. "I want it to make sure no one can fuck with my family or friends."

Ryūken processed Ichigo's response before nodding. "Very well, it seems like your wish will be granted. Contact me for the list of items you desire."

"Huh, Uryu mentioned you're kind of a dick. Don't seem like it."

"Ah so my son as spoken about me? He perceives me as such as I feel like the Quincies are fools. There is no chance of making a living by saving the dead."

"...That makes sense I guess." Ryūken gave him a skeptical eye. "If you didn't work at the hospital, he couldn't live as he did. It's kinda a dick move on what you said, but makes sense."

"How peculiar. I wasn't expecting that response." He soon sat up and took one last drag of his cigarette before tossing it on the ground and putting it out beneath his foot. "Apologies for the sudden departure, but my break is nearing its end."

"See ya Ryūken." Ichigo gave a small wave to him. Ryūken gave a nod as he continued to walk away. Ichigo focused back on his mother's or rather his new Quincy Cross. He wrapped it around his left wrist like he had seen Uryu had done it before and attempted to activated it.

"You shouldn't do that in the open Ichigo," Vergil advised. "It may cause alarm."

"Fair point." Ichigo stopped his attempts but kept it wrapped around the wrist. "Now what?" As if some god was listening, they felt two massive amounts of Reiatsus appear. "The hell is that?"

"Practice for your Quincy Cross," Vergil answered as he sat up. "Should I grab your girlfriends?"

"Good idea, if just to have back up." Ichigo mimicked Vergil's actions as they both began to walk off in separate directions. Ichigo gave a wide smirk as his clothes transformed into what he dubbed his "Hunter" outfit.

Now, who could be that strong and I wouldn't know them? Ichigo sped off towards where the sources were; the park. Along the way, Nero and Dante appeared beside him.

"So kid, what's the game plan?" Dante asked. "I've been needing to kick some skulls in."

"Get in line Dante," Nero replied. "School isn't exactly the most entertaining thing to do the entire damn day."

"Suck it up both of you," Ichigo said. "Considering how strong they feel, we should be given a run for our money." They soon arrived at the park to see Chad was having his arm being slowly regenerated by Orihime, who was currently sending one of her faeries to attack one of the sources.

The sources both were wearing white outfits, but that was pretty much where the similarities ended. The bigger of the duo was a giant in size. His head was nearly bald with the exception of a ponytail on the back of his head. His jaw had a bony copy of it attached to it. His jacket was open and he lacked an undershirt, showing a muscular build with a hole in his chest.

His partner was significantly smaller than him. His skin was bone white, matching the broken half of the helmet atop his head. His cat-like eyes gave were entirely void of emotions as thin teal lines descended from them. His coat was slightly unzipped, showing a hole of his own going through his neck.

"Now who are you?" Ichigo asked as he slowly walked towards them. The fairy which Orihime launched towards the brute was blocked by him and crumbled to dust.

"Well look Ulquiorra! The target is here!" The brute commented to his partner, who's eyes shifted to Ichigo. "What shall we do with him?"

"Isn't it obvious Yammy? We kill him." Ulquiorra's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion. "I'll let you take care of him."

"You did this all for me? I'm touched." Ichigo walked closer to Yammy with a smirk, holding Red Queen on his shoulder. "But you didn't need to bring in anyone else."

"Is that so? To bad bastard! You'll be too dead to care!" Yammy's fist swung at Ichigo, who parried with the tip of Red Queen, the clashing causing a shockwave. "Damn runt. You think you can beat me?!"

"I think he's got a fair chance," Dante said from the sidelines. "Definitely against someone like you. All brawn and no brain."

"You bastards think you can mock me!?" Yammy raged as he started to pull out his sword.

"Are you so outclassed that you have to use your Zanpakuto on a runt like him Yammy?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I'm pretty sure I'm taller than you emo." Ichigo shot back as he placed Red Queen on his back as Rebellion appeared next to it. "So unless you're secretly on your knees than you're the runt here."

Yammy's face had a wide smile as he swung his sword down at Ichigo. Ichigo gripped Rebellion's grip, the metal feeling cool against the scales of his hand, and swung, creating sparks against Yammy's sword.

"This all? Man, you guys are pushovers." Ichigo commented as Yammy's hand started to spark with red electricity. Ichigo himself started to pull out Ebony.

"I'm a pushover? Let's see if you like this!" Yammy thrusted his fist, releasing a red Bala from it. Ichigo held Ebony and fired one of his own. The resulting meeting of their Reiatsu canceled each other out. "What?"

"Surprise. Aizen never told you about my toys?" Ichigo pushed Rebellion harder, pushing Yammy's Zanpakuto closer to its owner. "Sucks for you." His hand started to glow as a sheathed Yamato appeared within it. Ichigo forced Reiatsu to coat Rebellion's blade, shocking Yammy. "Drive!" The energy released an arc-shaped Cero, which ripped through Yammy's defense. The opening allowed Ichigo to replace Rebellion with Yamato, which he quickly bent his knees and sheathed it and unsheathed it like lightning.

Yammy howled in pain as his arm fell off, his sword clattering along with it. Ichigo smirked as he put Yamato's sheath on his belt and focused on his Quincy Cross. It ignited with gold energy as a bow formed.

The bow had four limbs in an x-like fashion, with the limbs being golden energy and shaped like furled bird wings. Ichigo pulled the string which had formed back, creating a golden arrow. "Let's see how this works!" Ichigo let go of the string and shot the arrow straight at Yammy, hitting him in the chest.

"Ah!" Yammy recoiled as the arrow disintegrated, taking part of his flesh with him. "You little pest! You-" Yammy's voice was cut off by several more arrows sticking into him, making him a living pincushion. A final one nailed him in the head. His body fell to the floor, showing an unfazed Ulquiorra.

"So that is how strong you are?" Ulquiorra questioned as looked on at Yammy's body disintegrate, leaving only a white orb. "What is that?"

Ichigo remained silent as he held out his hand and the orb flew to him. He was enveloped with a glow which blinded Ulquiorra. When it died down, Ichigo now had pieces of armor covering him, all colored silver and pulsating with energy which shifted color.

His mouth was obscured with a mask, his legs were covered with grieves with saw blades attached to them, and his arms were covered with gauntlets. On his back was armor which resembled a small pair of wings.

The mask seemingly disappeared from existence, showing Ichigo face, who turned to Ulquiorra. "Your turn emo," Ichigo said as he started to march towards him. Ulquiorra disappeared from view, appearing a ways away.

He removed his hand from his pocket before tapping the air, causing a black void to open. "I have no desire to fight. I must report this to Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra informed as he entered the void, it closing it's maw after.

"Damn," Ichigo commented as he watched as Ulquiorra disappeared. He turned to Dante and Nero. "Looks like you won't get to fight."

"What a shame," Nero remarked. "At least you got a new weapon."

Ichigo looked down at the gauntlets and greaves. "They don't really fit me." He dismissed the weapons. "You want em, Dante?"

"Oh Ichigo, how did you know it was my birthday?" Dante smirked as he formed Gilgamesh on him. He did a few moves, testing it out before he nodded in approvement. "Nice."

"So where are the bastards?" Lady asked as she, Trish, and Vergil appeared. Kalina Ann was held at the ready.

"Eh, I kicked one of their asses and the other fled. Sorry." Ichigo said, earning a grunt of annoyance from Lady.

"How was the trial run?" Vergil asked as he noticed Dante's new weapon. "I'm presuming successful."

"Nailed it on the head, Vergil," Ichigo said as he activated his bow, showing it. "A bit difficult to use, but I'll be fine."

"Since when did you have that?" Trish asked.

"When I met my uncle today. That's why I couldn't hang out after school. Kinda a cool dude."

"Well since you had time for your uncle, you have time for us," Lady said, putting Kalina Ann on her back. "Date time."

"Well, this is going to be fun then." Ichigo agreed. His attention shifted to an injured Chad, a seemingly passed out Tatsuki, and a barely conscious Orihime. He jogged over and snapped his fingers a few times. "You okay Inoue?"

She gave a weak nod as she struggled. "Thank you Kurosaki-kun." She murmured out.

"My Ichigo. Looks like we didn't even need to interfere." Kisuke spoke as he and Yoruichi walked closer. His Zanpakuto was already prepped for battle.

"Oh yay, Urahara. And Yoruichi." Yoruichi smirked at the snarky tone towards Kisuke. "Are you here to shove another rock in someone?"

"Hm, not today. I was preparing to fight. You're not the only one to feel the Arrancar. But looks like you handled it."

"Only one. The emo escaped." He started to walk towards his own group. "I've got some stuff to do. Make sure they're okay."

"Alright, Ichigo," Yoruichi said as she walked towards Orihime, checking on her. "Have fun with your date."

"Probably will," Ichigo answered as he didn't stop his stride. He dropped both his hands on Trish and Lady's shoulders. "Let's get that date started eh?"

"Ah yes, let's go with our weapons. Perfect idea." Lady snapped snarkily. "We need to drop them off."

"Eh, we'll take care of that." Dante offered. "Turn over and they'll be back at home."

"Just don't mess with them." They turned over there weapons. Lady kept a handgun though.

"There in good hands. Now go have fun, crazy kids!" Dante and his brothers disappeared using their respective techniques, leaving Ichigo and the killer duo. Ichigo's clothes shifted back into his school outfit, complete with a bandaged right arm.

"so where are we going?" Trish asked.

"Umm..." Lady trailed for a few moments, earning a light laugh from Ichigo.

"I've got you covered. Let's head to a cafe." They both nodded in agreement and they were off to begin their date.


	11. Invasions Galore

Ichigo, Lady, and Trish sat out of the cafe as Ichigo leaned back. "So I've been meaning to ask Lady. How do you have so many weapons to put a small military to shame?" Ichigo asked.

"That because of my mom," Lady admitted. "She was part of the British Army. So I'm an army brat. I got trained by her while we were moving around. And when she got out of there, she may or may not have brought a large surplus of weapons home."

"Huh. talk about interesting. And here I am being a cocktail of spiritual things." He turned to Trish. "So what's up with being a dragon?"

"Aren't we getting a bit personal. We're going so fast Ichigo, a bit to fast you think?" She smirked slyly. "But I know what you mean. My mom was a dragon. A disguiser breed. They can possess dead bodies and control them.

"Talk 'bout creepy." Lady murmured. "No offense!"

"It is creepy, so don't worry about it, Mary. My mom took a body and started to hang around people in Wing Bind, the Western Soul Society. She got smitten by a handler and sooner or later I popped out. Turns out that playing around with a dragon is a naughty and got hunted down. They took me with them and we got stuck in a forest and we got hunted down. Dad held them off for a little while mom sealed up my power. She also sacrificed herself to form my sword. When Wing Bind found me, I looked just like a regular human. But I was still kept by them for a while."

"I'm sorry to hear that Trish," Ichigo said as he and Lady grasped both of her hands. "You don't seem all to stressed about it."

"Shocking fact, but being part dragon kinda comes with a few downsides, one of which is detachment from others. That changed when my powers mostly got sealed, pushing my human side to the front. That let yours truly to experience what it's like to be human."

"Huh, so that's why you acted so cold to me initially," Lady commented. "And here I thought you were an introvert."

"Pfff, like you could imagine me being an introvert!" She let go of them and referred to herself. "Moi is a show. You can see, but not touch. Unless you're a certain snowhead."

"And I thought I was a carrot. What changed?" Ichigo asked.

"Your hair color for one," Lady mentioned. "Seriously, what changed it white?"

"My guess? Something to do with my Hollow side. Probably screwed with my hair or some shit. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, I'm surprised to see you 3 here!" A voice called out. Ichigo swerved his head to see the slicked-back hair of Kūgo, ramen in hand. "You on a secret date?"

"Oh, you," Ichigo said as Kūgo made himself at home at the table and started slurping down his noodles. "So what's the deal with the card?"

"Hmm?" Kūgo sounded with noodles stuffed in mouth. He quickly ate them. "Don't know what you're talking about Ichigo. You must've dropped it."

"Is that so?" Lady asked as Kūgo felt something poke him. It felt cold and blunt. "Don't bullshit us."

"You're playing a dangerous game, girl." Kūgo lost his smile as he stared at Lady." And messing with very dangerous people."

"Ah yes. Cliche threat 35. A classic." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Just start talking. What's the deal with Xcution?"

"We're a group of humans who's parents got attacked by Hollows and survived, The Hollow's Reiryoku got injected into the parent and passed down to the child. We have the ability of Fullbring." Kūgo explained. "We believe that two of you have this ability. We know that you, Ichigo Kurosaki do."

"And let me guess. You want to recruit us?"

Kūgo smirked. "You're a pretty clever kid Ichigo, but no. We want to do the exact opposite. We want to give our powers to you."

"And what exactly is your power?" Trish asked. "You said something about Fullbring."

"Fullbring. The ability to bring out an object's soul. I take you want a demonstration?" Kūgo smiled as his noodles started to glow with a familiar, green glow. They started to move like a puppet, putting on a little show. When they were done, they gave a bow before jumping into Kūgo's open mouth. "So what do you think?"

"Pretty lame," Lady said. "You made some noodles move. How interesting!"

"That's just an example. I can't reveal all of my secrets. How else could I convince you guys?"

"Tch fine. We'll meet on Saturday night. Just tell us when." Ichigo spoke Kūgo smiled at them.

"Fine. And here we had an entire thing set up. But if it earns your trust. Go to the Chōbara District of Naruki City. I'll find you guys and introduce you to the rest of Xcution."

"Alright." Lady nodded, poking Kūgo once more. "Don't think you can pull a fast one on us."

"Yeesh! I get it." Kūgo put his hands up as he got up. "How 'bout a little faith?" He snatched up his ramen and started walking away. "I'll see you guys later!"

"So...what do we do?" Ichigo asked.

"Take their offer?" Lady recommended. "It seems pretty interesting. Besides, you think we can't take 'em?"

"Now you're talking crazy," Ichigo smirked. "Not a whole lot of people can beat my ass."

"Aizen." Trish listed, sticking up a finger. "Yoruichi. Kinda Kenpachi. I'm willing to guess that Kisuke guy. Nero, Dante, and Vergil." Each word was followed by a finger raised.

"Alright! I get it!" Ichigo groaned as he sank back into his chair. "Talk about disempowering a guy."

Trish leaned over to give him a light kiss on the cheek. "How's that ya big baby? Feel better?"

"Meh, 7/10," Ichigo smirked as he looked at the sun, noting its position of scraping the horizon. "Looks like night's comin' soon. We should start heading home."

"Well, this was a fun date," Lady said as they got out of their seats. "But I get to say for next spot."

"You would've Mary if you weren't so awkward." Trish teased as they started to stroll down the street. "How lucky of you to have Ichigo pick up your slack."

"Eh, it could have been someone worse. Like that Kūgo guy."

"Don't be so hard on him," Ichigo said, getting their attention. "He's only creepier than the hobo hidden in the dumpster behind the school."

"Have to agree with you. Shall we?" They continued walking towards the clinic.

Break

Ichigo found himself waiting at his desk in school as he noticed Dante and Vergil bickering, Nero caught in the middle. "Ah come on! Just tell us where you got the new toy Verg'!" Dante whined as Nero groaned.

"Leave me out of this shit. If you two want to beat the shit out of each other go ahead." He said as Vergil rubbed his forehead.

"I believe I have said before brother and I will say it once more. Where I obtained my weaponry is none of your concern." Vergil stated.

Ichigo decided to jump into the conversation at this point with a question, "What about a new weapon?"

"Vergil got his hands on a new toy and won't share. Won't even tell us where he got it." Dante crossed his arms and faced away from Vergil. "Jerk."

"The most I will reveal is that I removed scum which would have caused plight to the populous." His face was stone cold.

"It wouldn't be related to a mansion being burnt to the ground would it?" Ichigo asked, causing Vergil to lock eyes with him. "Just tell me this: What was in the mansion?"

"They were what could be called Bounts. I overheard their plans. They planned on using mosquito-like creatures on humans, taking their souls and using to become stronger before attempting to destroy the Soul Society. I destroyed them easily. Only the master and his Shinigami servant served as any challenge. I happened to absorb the Shinigami's power as a new weapon."

"And that was your big secret? Jesus. You were acting like a bitch." Nero insulted with an eyeroll. "It's not like it we would hate you or something Vergil."

"I know. I just didn't wish to reveal it. I believe I am entitled to privacy."

"Alright break it up, ladies," Lady said as he leaned near Ichigo, putting the chair on two legs. Against her desk was a cylinder wrapped in cloth. "There's commotion or something in the hallway."

"I'm going to check then." Ichigo voiced as he got up and stood in front of the door. He was about to open it before it was slid open by someone on the other side. Said person was Renji, wearing the school uniform with several other people behind him, all from Soul Society. "So the pineapple is back? You want your ass kicked again?"

Renji growled at Ichigo. "Trust me. I would love nothing more to beat you, but we're here to meet up with you." He explained.

"If you're here, is the mid-"

"I am." A voice called behind Ichigo, who turned to see Rukia standing on the windowsill. "It's been quite a while Ichigo. Hasn't it?"

"Not really. It's been a few weeks at best." Ichigo said casually. He wasn't expecting Rukia to launch herself and kick him back into Renji, who held him still. "The hell!?"

"Oh calm down ya big baby!" Rukia put a red glove on her hand, with a skull engulfed in blue flames on the back.

"Like this is happening!" Ichigo elbowed Renji, releasing him before he grabbed Renji. He got tossed over his shoulder into Rukia, separating his soul from his gigai. "How's that?"

"What did you do that for?" Renji asked as Rukia set his gigai down.

"Maybe cause I got kicked in the face and nearly dragged out!" He crossed his arms. "How's that for an explanation?"

"But there's a hollow! You need to slay it." Rukia explained, earning a groan from Ichigo.

"And you couldn't have led with that? Whatever." He cranked his neck to Lady and Trish. "Time to get to work girls!"

"About time we get some action," Lady said as she bolted up and grabbed Kalina Ann from her desk.

"Let's get the ball rolling then," Trish commented as she and Lady stood at Ichigo's sides before they started to move towards the window.

"Where are you going?" Rukia asked as Ichigo looked back.

"Looking for that hollow," Ichigo said with a smirk. "Thought you knew about it."

Rukia pointed a finger which alternated between Trish and Lady."But why are they going with you?"

"They want to and I'm fine with them." Ichigo turned back and waved her off. "Now if you don't mind..." He jumped atop before the windowsill before hopping off of that. He arose being carried by Kikōō. Lady and Trish also jumped, landing on Kikōō.

"Wait up!" Rukia tossed Renji's gigai to the ground and hopped through the window, landing on Kikōō, who quickly took off.

"So where's this hollow?" Ichigo whispered as he closed his eyes.

Rukia was on her phone, typing away on it. "It should be right-"

"-Right there!" Ichigo finished as his eyes peeled open. He patted the nearby neck of Kikōō and pointed downwards. "Think you can hover down there, girl?"

Kikōō screeched as she descended towards an empty lot. When they got close enough, a hollow with a mint-body and a curved head ripped through the earth. "Looks like we found our perp," Ichigo smirked at Lady. "How 'bout you show it some love?"

"Of course," Lady smirked as she unraveled Kalina Ann and took aim. "You ready?"

"Yup." Ichigo's clothes changed as he stood up. Lady pulled the trigger and a rocket shot out. Ichigo ran of Kikōō and landed on the missile, riding it down. "Woohoo!" It careened downwards before Ichigo jumped off, it hitting the hollow. Ichigo looked on as it was engulfed in an explosion.

"Alright, time to get to the action," Trish said as she stood and jumped off, turning into lightning and crashing to the ground.

Lady rolled her eyes as she joined them. When the ground was near, she launched another rocket, blasting into the ground and slowed her descent. She grunted as she landed in a crouch.

"You alright?" Ichigo asked as Lady stood up.

"Yeah, I'll survive."

"Good." He turned to face the hollow. "I'll be having the first dance with ugly." A smirk appeared as the hollow roared and bolted towards him. Ichigo willed Red Queen in his hand as he matched the hollow's pace. He let Red Queen roar as he swung it, slicing its arm off as he spun past it.

Engine still roaring, Red Queen was put to sleep as Ichigo replaced it with Cerberus. The hollow had turned around as he spun Cerberus around the ring.

"Hey hollow? I think its time for a switch in partners." He slammed Cerberus' chains down. A trail of ice erected as they made their way to the hollow. They soon started to cover it, creeping upwards. It screamed as it attempted to release itself. Its attempts were to ill effect as the ice began to compact and freeze it's lower body in place.

Ichigo turned on his heel and started walking. "He's all yours ladies. Even has a bow on it." He said as they smiled and started to unload onto the hollow. He made his way to a landed Kikōō and a stern-looking Rukia in front. "Oh, what did I do?"

"You're letting normal humans handle the hollow! Are you that stupid!?" Rukia yelled. "What makes you think they can handle it?"

"I guess your right," Ichigo said, Rukia sighing in relief. "How could I let them have all the fun?" He turned back and summoned Revenant in his hand. He leveled it and tightened his grip, feeling himself pushing excess of energy into it. He pulled the trigger and released the energy.

Instead of the usual spread of reiatsu, a solid cylinder shot out and got embedded into the ice holding the hollow.

Lady halted her assault to turn. "What's that?" She asked.

"That would be the grand finale. Hit it!" Ichigo yelled back as Lady smirked. She whipped her head back around and leveled Kalina Ann. She wrapped her finger around the trigger but growled when a lightning bolt hit the cylinder, setting it off and ending the hollow.

"That was my kill!" Lady complained to Trish, who placed her hands on her hips.

"You should be a faster shot then." She said simply, a smirk finding itself on her face. "So are you done complaining?"

"Whatever." Lady rolled her eyes as she slammed Kalina Ann into the ground and opened a space near the back, placing her weapons into it. She quickly rewrapped it with the fabric before strapping it back on.

Trish and Lady strode towards Ichigo and Rukia. "See? They're perfectly fine." Ichigo told Rukia, motioning towards them. "So what's the deal with complaining?"

"It's because-eugh!" Rukia yelled as she gripped her hair, attempting to pull it. "Whatever. I'm done."

"Don't get any white hairs on our accounts," Trish said, hearing a groan from Ichigo as he twirled a strand of his hair in his hands. "Though it looks good on you Ichigo."

"And now my self-confidence is restored," Ichigo commented as Rukia tapped on her cellphone.

"If you're done having your talk, we need to head to your house. School should be over by now."

"Fine," Ichigo said as they quickly boarded Kikōō, who cawed as they took off towards the Clinic.

A few minutes later, Kikōō touched down on the roof of the Clinic, where everyone got off. Kikōō cooed once more before turning to ash and being placed on Ichigo's neck.

Rukia jumped off the roof, landing a with a thud. "Hurry up and get down here." She yelled to those above.

Ichigo looked down at her and shook his head. "Like hell, I'm breaking my legs." He muttered. He moved around the roof and slid to the terrace and landed on the terrace. He spread his arms out before dropping, head first. He twisted and. landed on his feet. He looked up to a waiting Trish and Lady. "You shouldn't break your legs that way."

They followed his route down with no issues. They made their way inside the Clinic and Ichigo's room, where Ichigo closed it behind him. "Looks like your room hasn't changed too much. Eh Ichigo?" Rukia teased as she sat on his bed.

"Oh so sorry I displeased your highness," Ichigo said with an eyeroll as he plopped himself in his desk chair. "Let's just get this over with. Why are you guys here?"

"I can explain that!" Renji's voice said somewhere, being muffled.

"Where the hell are you?" Ichigo sat up as he started to pace around, Lady and Trish mirroring. The light on the ceiling shifted before falling to the floor. It soon broke due to Renji landing on it.

"How the hell did you people get in here?" Ichigo's tone shifted to a partial growl as several Shinigami entered his room, making it crowded.

"Oh. We cut a hole through the roof and crawled through." A strawberry blonde with several of her shirt buttons undone, showing her cleavage. "Why? You couldn't be upset about that could you?"

"Oh no. Not at all." Ichigo's teeth grinded as the words slipped loose.

"Oh good! I knew you couldn't be mad at little ole' me."

Ichigo let out a huff before he continued "Now can you explain why the hell you are here?"

"It's simple Kurosaki." Another voice from the window said, belonging to a short kid with spiky white hair. "It is about the Arrancar."

"At least the kid didn't destroy my house to enter it." Ichigo's muttering caused a vein to appear on the kid's forehead.

"My name is Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Captain of the 10th Division." Toshiro declared. "And the leader of the Soul Society Expeditionary Force."

"And what's the deal with the Arrancar?" Lady asked, arms crossed. "We met a few, but they seemed pretty easy to take down."

"That's because Kurosaki possible took down a weak one. But if our info is right, Aizen is creating an entire army of them."

"That's what the asshole is doing? Guess we should give him a little visit." Ichigo mentioned with a smirk.

"Don't be stupid Ichigo." Rukia butted in. "You wouldn't be able to take on all of the Arrancar and the Captains."

"That's not even mentioning the problem with getting there to their base, Hueco Mundo. It can only be accessed by a Hollow's Garganta." Tōshirō informed. "So there is no chance of entering."

"So you're here to prepare for the war?" Lady asked.

"You are correct. If we're correct, Aizen's Hōgyoku should be fully awakened by mid-December. We're here to make sure no Arrancar can get a foothold in the living world." Tōshirō took a look around the room and with a raised eyebrow asked Rangiku, "Where is Nemuri?"

"Oh her? She should be with that Dante fellow. Seemed to like him a lot." Rangiku notified.

"Oh, that should go fine," Ichigo muttered under his breath. "And if you guys are going to be here, where are you staying?" They all just turned and stared at him. "Oh like hell you're staying here!"

"Not even me?" Rangiku asked with a fluttering of eyelashes. "Sure I can't...convince you?"

"I'm sure you can't," Lady said as she motioned to the door... "Now come on. Out!"

"Are you jealous? Afraid I'll steal your man?"

"She said leave and I happen to agree with her, now get out." Ichigo butted in. Rangiku pouted her full lips but got up and everyone began leaving, Ichigo, Trish, and Lady following them out to the entrance.

"Alright, now leave me alone," Ichigo said as the Shinigami left to find somewhere to crash.

"Oh boy. Hope they have luck finding somewhere to stay." Rukia stated as she stood next to Ichigo.

"And where do you think you're staying?" He stared down at her as she remained silent for a moment before running towards the door. She made little progress towards it as she ran into a wall known as Trish and Lady. They grabbed her and held her.

Rukia shook as Ichigo rubbed his forehead. "Can you two take care of her?" He asked. "I've got to meet up with Tatsuki and Nero."

Rukia lunged, nearly getting free from Lady's grasp, but she held firm as she pulled her back. "Yeah, we should be able to take care of her. Go on and get yourself beat up."

Ichigo nodded as he started walking before breaking into a sprint towards the school. A few minutes later, he wound up in front of the school, the sun setting behind it. "Wonder why she wanted to meet up so late?" He murmured to himself as went to the backside of the school to the dojo.

When he got there, he found Nero leaning against the side of the building. "' Bout time you got here." He said as he pried himself off the side. "Tatsuki's waiting inside."

"Why are you out here?" They began walking towards the sliding door.

"Dunno. Your friend wanted me to." Ichigo slid open the door, letting Nero in and closing it behind them. They looked to find an empty room except for Tatsuki, dressed in a white gi and a black belt knotted across her waist. She was seated in the middle and stared at them.

"So you're finally here Ichigo." She said as she stood. Her face showed nothing, and her tone was neutral. But even then, Ichigo could tell something was up.

"And here I thought we would be with everyone else. But we get a private class!" Nero said as she walked closer to them. "So how we going to do this?"

She didn't answer with words. Instead, she attempted to throw a punch at Ichigo. He blocked it with his right hand. She laced her fingers with the bandages and pulled, unraveling them and revealing his Devil Bringer.

Ichigo reeled back and hid it behind his back as Tatsuki dropped the bandages. "So I saw right. That day at the park." She said as her eyes narrowed. "What are you Ichigo!?"

"Chill will you?" That answer seemed to infuriate Tatsuki more than anything as she let out a growl of frustration as she ran towards Ichigo for another punch. He blocked the punch but was surprised when Tatsuki shifted his weight and gripped him, lifting him over her head and placing him on the floor.

"Some help Nero?" Ichigo covered his face as Tatsuki continued to pummel him.

Nero looked from his position against the wall with a wide smirk as he said, "And miss this hilarity? You're crazy!"

"You asshole," Ichigo muttered before wheezing due to Tatsuki slamming a fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. "Enough!" His yelling was followed by a wave of blue energy knocking Tatsuki off him and onto the floor.

He breathed heavily as he slowly got up, his stomach feeling the pain from her assault. "So are you done going psycho?" He stood a little away from Tatsuki.

"Wha-what are you Ichigo?" She asked once more as Ichigo rolled his eyes and offered his hand to her. She stared at the scales of his arm and knocked it away, getting up herself.

"Fine then."

"Are you going to answer my question?" She asked as her eyes narrowed.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air," Nero announced as he started walking towards the door. "Obvious you two ladies are gonna just talk." He left promptly without either being able to respond.

"So are we gonna talk now?" Ichigo questioned as he sat down. "Cause this is a real trip."

"Just start talking," Tatsuki replied as she mimicked his action.

Ichigo proceeded to spill his guts, telling her everything. From his meeting with Rukia to his assault on Soul Society, give or take a few details.

Tatsuki just sat their, eyes open as her mind cranked through the info. "How?" She whispered as Ichigo just smiled tiredly.

"A lot of stupid luck and weird family history." He answered.

Tatsuki raised her head to look into Ichigo's eyes. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"Ah yes, that would just go perfectly, "Oh hi Tatsuki! I've had such a weekend. A midget broke into my house and gave me magic powers! Turns out I got my own. Aren't I just lucky!""

"I guess that makes sense. But don't you think you couldn't have trusted me? I thought we were friends."

Ichigo sighed at her question. "No offense, but everyone I interact with is pulled into the toilet bowl known as my life. And that is permanently stuck on flush. You already got screwed by me once."

"What do you mean? Wait-That jellyfish thing." She recalled.

"You can thank the residential four-eyes, Uryu. Thought he was high and mighty, decided to summon a bunch of Hollow as a contest."

"And he thought that is was a good idea?"

"Yes. Quincies are so good, they can take out that many Hollows. Lucky us, we managed."

"Well. I guess." She took a look at the clock and noticed it was nearing eight o'clock. "Huh, It's been that long?"

Ichigo tilted his head to notice the clock. "Guess it has." They got up on their feet and Ichigo went over to his discarded bandages and started wrapping up his arm again. "Just don't tell anyone about this? Though they probably won't believe you."

"You seriously don't want to tell anyone else?"

Ichigo tightened the bandage as he finished. "Obviously. Either I don't trust them, or it's a stupid idea of telling them."

"Fine." She slowly walked behind him and suddenly hugged him. "Sorry for...hitting you."

"Eh, I was kinda an asshole, but...Thanks." She let go of him before he left.

A few minutes passed as Ichigo got back to the clinic. He quickly made his way in and up to his room. When he opened the door, he saw Lady and Trish, annoyance marking their faces a limp Rukia laid on his bed next to them.

"Do I even want to know where she is?" He asked as Lady gestured to the closet with a limp hand. He walked towards it and pulled it open, causing Rukia in a Shihakushō to spilled out onto the floor.

She rubbed her head as she looked up at a frowning Ichigo. "What the hell did I say?" He asked. "You aren't staying in there."

"You should see what's in there Ichigo!" She cried out as she stood up. "There are so many weapons!"

He looked inside and indeed, there was a miniature armory in there, belonging to Lady. He just shrugged his shoulders. "Alright? I knew that was in there."

"But-but it's preventing me from staying!"

"No. I just don't want you to be here. So get out of here Rukia." The desk rumbled and shook like it was possessed at the mention of Rukia.

Ichigo stared at it with confusion before his eyes widened in realization. "So that's where I put him? Kinda forgot." He went over and pulled a drawer open and pulled out a shoebox with tape holding it shut. He tossed it to Rukia haphazardly. "You might want that."

"Isn't that where you shoved that perverted toy?" Trish asked as Lady gave a weird look.

"A...perverted...toy?" She repeated slowly as Trish nodded.

"Yup. Though you weren't awake."

Rukia ripped off the tape and out popped Kon, looking rough. "Huh?" He sounded as he looked around confused, before focusing in on Rukia. "Oh Rukia! You're back!" He jumped up and latched onto her. "That bastard shoved me into the drawer for months!"

"How could you do that Ichigo?" She walked close to him.

"It's not like he could die. Besides, you want him? Go ahead and take him." He waved her off as she stared at him with a frown.

"You've changed Ichigo." She went grabbed her gigai and left through the window, Kon giving him a nasty eye as he disappeared from Ichigo's view.

He let out a sigh as he flopped into his chair. "This is just becoming a shit show, isn't it?" He asked, rubbing his face with an open palm.

"You gonna be okay?" Lady asked as Ichigo removed his hand and stared at her.

"Yeah." He leaned forward, the chair creaking as he sat on the edge of it fingers knotted together. "Just had a lot of things happened today. Guess who knows my side-gig now?"

"Your friend Tatsuki?" Trish guessed as she stretched one arm with the other. "Pretty sure she was at the park, so she might have seen."

"Yeah, she figured it out so I told her. Surprisingly went well. But uh...Where's Nero, Dante, and Vergil?"

"After the Shinigami showed up, Dante got dragged away by the little girl with black hair, Vergil did whatever Vergil does, and Nero waited for your date with Tatsuki. No clue where they are now."

"Just great." Ichigo jumped slightly as a growling sound could be heard from his pocket. He reached in and pulled out his badge, eyes flashing and it growling. "Guess it's time to work."

Lady and Trish nodded as they sat up. Lady went to the closet and pulled out some of her arsenal, strapping it to her as Ichigo's clothes changed. When she shut it and turned around, Kikōō was already floating outside the window, Ichigo and Trish already on. She quickly jumped on and Kikōō took off.

Break

Above the clouds of Karakura Town, a dark rift appeared and several figures walked through and stood in the air, all decked in white with pieces of bone attached to their bodies in various places. They looked towards the person in the front, who gave off an air of wildness.

They had hair and eyes of frosty blue color. The hair came down their back like a mane and spiked wildly. Their eyes had green markings like a wild cat, with a jawbone attached to the right of her face. They lacked and undershirt, with a jacket being the only thing covering their upper body, besides the bandages covering and supporting their rather large breasts. They were Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the Sexta Espada.

Grimmjow smiled dangerously as she gazed down at Karakura Town before speaking. "Alright boys, sense them and hunt anyone with Reiatsu!"

The crowd behind her howled in agreement as she continued like a predatory towards Karakura.


End file.
